Fighting for the Future
by Dslayernitro
Summary: Luffy saved Robin from the ambush on Sabaody Archipelago, but it ended in tragedy. Luffy lost both Ace and Robin during the battle of Marineford. In a new level of grief and rage, he Awakens his Devil Fruit, stretching time itself to prevent it from happening again. Luffy will fight to get back what he lost. Smarter!Luffy OP!Luffy Dark!Luffy Definite LuRo, once we get there.
1. Power Unleashed

Hello everyone! I decided to work on this time travel fic (because there wasn't enough of those) more towards the side. It will be a sort of spin off from Deep Love, but events will not affect the other. Going into this before my other story, just know that Luffy and Robin confessed their feelings and got married under the acceptance of the World Government before leaving Water 7. The chapters will be longer than those in Deep Love, so don't expect me to update as often. I will however work on them both at least partly consistently. This will be LuRo, of course. It will also have a much darker and more powerful Luffy who can't let the same mistakes be made. You can consider this an AU as new adventures will occur. I will take any advice and recommendations with a grain of salt. I appreciate the input but I've yet to see a time travel fic started like this. Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece, I don't own a piece. EDIT: Fixed a small wording error, thank you doubledamn for that.

* * *

The scene was catastrophic. Dead marines and pirates littered Marineford. The main objective of the Whitebeard Pirates, was a failure. Ace laid dead on the ground with a pool of blood surrounding him. A smile adorned his face from the life he was happy to live. The pirates were in full retreat, they had no more reason to stay. Luffy was married to the beautiful Nico Robin for a shockingly short amount of time before the ambush on Sabaody Archipelago. Kuma had separated all the pirates but two, Luffy and Robin. He wouldn't let him take her from him. They flew for two days and nights before landing on the island of Amazon Lily. With help from the lovestruck Pirate Empress, they were able to sneak into the prison Impel Down. After failing to save Ace and suffering massive injuries, they had rushed to Marineford to fight with White Beard.

This was the last few days. The last Luffy had gotten to spend with his love. During the retreat, the Marine Admiral Akainu had attacked mercilessly. He wouldn't let anyone escape his Absolute Justice. That meant attacking the young girl in full view of everyone, including Straw Hat Luffy. Whitebeard had retaliated for the boy, who was too frozen to act. Slamming his fist into Akainu's face, sending a quake through it. It shook the very world around them. He had lost so much. So many sons. Then he took away this poor brat's wife? HIS FAMILY TOO?! Akainu was sent flying towards the now non-existence execution platform. Looking down as the brat held his dead love in his arms. Unwilling to let go of her lifeless body. It was a cry heard round the world. "ROBIN!"

* * *

Garp couldn't believe his eyes. He knew Akainu was a dog off his leash but this?! He had killed his grandson. It hurt, but he knew it was inevitable. He was guarding his execution. But his granddaughter as well? It was too much. He could hear his grandson's scream of agony twice over. Losing his closest family. Garp The Fist began to burst into tears and slump down before it all. He had hurt his family so much. His own son hated him. His grandson died. He never got to know his new granddaughter. And Luffy was sure to hate the World. He wasn't wrong to. He gave him so many reasons. He glared up at Sengoku, fury replacing his despair. He let the dog off the leash. He caused this pain. For what? Justice? Was this Justice?! He stood and felt Sengoku push him back down. "I can't let you up, Garp. Not till this is over." He said, fear in his eyes. This had gone so poorly. He didn't need Garp doing anything irrational. He was a variable he didn't need running around.

"Luffy, vi have to go. Vi can't stay here." Ivankov begged as he tried to drag Luffy from Robin's body. She was so delicate. Body still warm from the magma. Her face was gone, so he couldn't bare to look. Ivankov had to back away as he saw Luffy turn a rubbery white. What the hell was happening to this boy?

"YOU TOOK MY FAMILY FROM ME!" Garp yelled as he swung his fist at the Fleet Admiral. It was all too much. He had no more family. The people he had fought along side for so many years took them away. When he wanted to leave. To avoid the scene, his best friend pushed him down, keeping him in sight of the disaster before him. Claiming he was too much of a threat. "I'VE ONLY EVER FOUGHT TO DO THE RIGHT THING! THIS ISN'T RIGHT!" He yelled as he punched a building after the dodge. The Fleet Admiral called for the nearest subordinate to help. It was a major mistake.

"I always knew you'd snap, Garp. Your bloodline is tainted. You're a feeble old man from a dying era." Akainu said as he approached the warring men. He wasn't about to let that Pirate kill him. Now he'd get to snuff out Garp the Fist! After taking care of Ace and Nico Robin, he was sure to get all the power he needed to purge the world of injustice.

Sengoku left the two men to fight. Calling for the assistance of the other Admirals as he took a breather. Garp attacked with every intent to kill. He may need the power of every marine to bring him down.

"SAKAZUKI!" Garp yelled as he charged the magma man. Fists black as he swung. His eyes red with blood lust. "I'LL KILL EVERYONE WHO DID THIS TO US!" He hit Akainu's shoulder. It blew apart, leaving his bloody human shoulder to slowly reform.

Whitebeard was guarding the front of Luffy. He couldn't let his honorary son be hurt as he grieved so terribly. He didn't let anyone near him live as they charge to attack the weakened Luffy. With another glance his blood chilled. The boy was whiter than snow. Then suddenly turned a crimson red. What was happening to this poor brat?

* * *

"Garp! Calm down! You're not thinking!" Sengoku and Aokiji yelled in unison, trying to calm down the enraged Devil. He was fighting both other Admirals in unison. Striking what would normally be fatal wounds with each swing. "I'M THINKING OF WHAT YOU'VE ALL DONE! THIS IS NOT JUSTICE!" He yelled, Akainu was attacking from in front as Kizaru flashed behind him. He reared his leg back and kicked at the speed of light, nearly breaking his leg over Garp's back. His entire body caked black as he got more and more enraged. Akainu was shocked, rushing the unaffected Garp head on. Garp slammed one blackened fist into the admirals head, the second into his chest. Sengoku, Aokiji, and Kizaru were shocked. Garp the Fist was beyond what even they expected. Two hits and he had killed Akainu. They weren't going to get out of this with destroying the entire island. Even their fight was stopped as a force pushed on them all. Turning their heads, they saw everyone else on the island, save Whitebeard, his Division Commanders, Ivankov, and themselves drop to the ground. Sengoku was able to see it before any other. A blood red boy kneeling over his dead wife and brother. "Aokiji! Kizaru! Ignore Garp! KILL MONKEY D LUFFY! HE'LL DESTROY US ALL!" Sengoku screamed as he ran towards the boy. The grief, the pain, the anger. He had _Awakened his Devil Fruit_.

* * *

The Whitebeard pirates and Ivankov stared in horror. The boy before them no longer appeared human. His eyes dripped an abyssal black liquid. As if he was crying nothingness. Only Whitebeard was unfaltered as the boy stood up. He looked intently at the two dead loved ones. Then proceeded to shock everyone, including Whitebeard himself. He grab the air in front of him.

Garp didn't need to know what happened for the order. He only needed to stop it. "YOU'LL NEVER HURT LUFFY AGAIN!" He yelled as he swung at his fleeing enemy. Trying to stop him. Aokiji froze him, stopping him momentarily before they ran.

Sengoku's heart pounded. This was too much. Luffy was on his radar since he first left Water 7 with his new bride. This could be a new threat entirely. Awakening was one of the rarest things known to mankind. While Luffy's initial power was admittedly harmless, Awakened it would be a nightmare. Being able to stretch anything, space, time itself!

Whitebeard guarded. Sending quakes at the attacking Admirals. They were no longer protected by their precious wall. He could enact revenge.

Aokiji was the easiest. He could shatter him over and over, keeping him from properly attacking. Kizaru was more troublesome. But if he kept cracking the air, Kizaru couldn't zip past. Forcing him to fight.

"Oooh. You're a fun one" Kizaru said, raising his leg. He shot at Whitebeard, who did not move. He let the attack shoot through him. "You're not taking another son." Whitebeard said, staring as he readied his bisento. Using a Quake bubble to prepare the attack. He charged at Kizaru after cracking the sky once again, forcing him to stay on the ground.

* * *

Garp kept trying to hit the Fleet Admiral. He wouldn't bother thinking of him as anything else. Not anymore. "WHY?! I'VE SERVED FAITHFULLY! I'VE DONE MY DUTY! WHY DO YOU KEEP TAKING WHO I LOVE?!" Garp cried as he slammed down on the fleet admiral's foot. Shattering it.

Sengoku had enough. This was no time to fight fairly. He closed his eyes and activated his power. Turning once again into the giant Buddha.

Garp was unfazed. Only charging the giant Buddha full speed. "NOTHING WILL STOP ME FROM PROTECTING THEM ANYMORE!" He yelled, tears in his eyes. The giant golden hand moved to grab him. He only punched his palm, sending a massive shockwave out. The giant Buddha was sent flying backwards as Garp fell to the ground. Exhausted from the power he had to put into the punch. But, he couldn't give up. Luffy needed him.

* * *

Luffy was staring into the hole. He didn't know what to do. He felt like he could fix it. Fix everything. He had to try. Try again. "ROBIN! ACE!" He yelled as he stretched out the air around him. Seemingly reaching in deeper. No one could move. At least no pirate. "I'M GOING TO SAVE YOU! NO MATTER WHAT!" He yelled, crawling into the hole he tore open.

Garp was in full sprint, no longer trying to fight. He focused all of his energy on getting to his grandson. "LUFFY!" He yelled, getting closer and closer. He wanted to protect someone, anyone he loved. "NEVER STOP FIGHTING!" He yelled, watching him jump into whatever he created. He knelt down Luffy disappeared. Looking up to his former friends with tears in his eyes. Aokiji walked to him, placing a hand on his head. He felt his world turn even colder as he looked into the man's dead eyes. "It was never worth it." He said, head becoming ice solid before Aokiji smashed it.

"I know." He replied. Looking up to see Whitebeard, a hole in his chest from the repeated light attacks. Kizaru with a Bisento cut down from his head to his heart, no way to recover. Sengoku was passed out on the ground yards away. "Nothing is ever worth it."

* * *

Luffy went limp as he soared through the tear. He had seen his adventures. All of them. His first instinct was to jump back to his crew. To run away and avoid Kuma's ambush. But that wouldn't save Ace. He had to go back further. But the World was crashing down around him. He picked a point far, far back...and he jumped.

It felt like he was flying forever. Watching everything flash by. The happy moments. The sad moments. The moments with Robin...He was going so far back. It was good. He needed more time. He was too weak. Too weak to protect them. But not if this worked. He couldn't be weak again. He saw Dawn Island in the distance. It had to be there. He closed his eyes, this was probably going to hurt...

It really, really did. He crashed into his younger self head first. It felt like he was ripped apart as their bodies merged. He weakly got up and looked around, seeing the knife in his hand. He started thinking, before remembering why he had it. "I...I'm going to prove to Shanks how strong I am!" Luffy yelled, running back to his original destination. He knew somethings had to go as normal. Plus, he liked the scar. It made him look cool. He ran into the bar and looked at the Red Hair crew. "Shanks! I'm tough enough to be a pirate!" He yelled, waiting for him to turn.

"Oh yeah? That right anchor? How do you plan to... Luffy!" Shanks yelled as he saw Luffy plunge a knife under his eye. Showing them all how strong he was. The idiot!

Time passed and Shanks talked to Luffy about how he didn't need to prove his strength. He just wasn't old enough. Luffy stared at the chest, he remembered it fondly. The Gum Gum Fruit he knew so well. He started to sneak it, when he felt guilt. The first time around he didn't know better. This time...

Luffy turned to Shanks, tugging his arm. "Umm. Shanks. I know I can't be a member of your crew yet, because I'm not strong enough but.." He sighed. He had to think about this carefully. "C-can I have this Devil Fruit? I promise not to eat it yet. I just want to get stronger." Luffy said, shocking Shanks and his crew.

"Luffy...How did you know that was a Devil Fruit?" Shanks asked, terrified of the answer. He rushed to open the chest, shocked to see the fruit was intact.

"Well you were guarding it so well. And they're really powerful." He said, averting his gaze.

Shanks could only smile. Maybe Luffy really was smarter than he let on. Good thing he didn't go ahead and eat the fruit. His brain would be Rubber. "Hmm...Why should I, anchor. Do you even know what will happen if you eat this?" Shanks asked, hoping to scare Luffy out of it. Makino watched carefully, hoping Shanks knew what he was doing.

"Well...You can't swim if you eat one. The Sea hates you for eating the power of the Sea Devil...That one looks like it's the best one though!" Luffy yelled, drawing it out. "I bet it's the Gum Gum Fruit!"

Shanks dropped down in shock. He had to read that damn book multiple times to make sure what it was. Luffy saw it for a second and knew. He got back up and looked around. His crew was shocked. Shanks sighed and put it back in the chest. Making Luffy depressed. "Once you grow up, it's yours." Shanks said with a smile. He didn't want him trapped with that mind. Even if it was a bit better than he thought.

"Thanks Shanks! Oh, one more thing. Can you kill this bandit that's about to come here? I think I could use it really well!"

"Wait wh-" The door slung open as mountain bandits charged in. Shanks was shocked, but saw Luffy's smile. He had to ask him about this later...

* * *

Some time later...

"Luffy. How'd you know all that stuff?" Shanks asked Luffy as he stacked the bodies. "The fruit, the bandits. What are you, psychic?" He asked jokingly.

Luffy sighed. If he could tell anyone right now, it was Shanks. "Would you believe me if I said I was from the future?"

Shanks couldn't stop from laughing, eyes watering. "That's hilarious Luffy. But get serious, how..." He saw Luffy start to cry. This was more serious than he thought.

"I really am Shanks." He cried, trying to contain his tears. "And I fought the Admirals with Whitebeard. Ace was killed by that bastard Akainu. So was Robin..." He had to sniffle as he repeated himself. "Nico Robin, my wife."

The information hit Shanks like Makino's angry fist. This wasn't like Luffy. He sucked at lying. This had to be true, at least to him. But these details.. He knew Akainu, Whitebeard, Nico Robin. "How'd you get back here than?" He asked, trying to believe him.

"Promise. Promise you won't take it away?" He asked, tearing up more. When Shanks nodded, he answered. "The Gum Gum Fruit..." He saw Shanks about to hit him for lying. "I don't know how! I just saw them there and...I had to save them. So I stretched a hole out and jumped in."

Shanks was thoroughly convinced. Luffy couldn't have known about Awakening. He had barely known. He thought about the promise he made. The power that fruit must hold if it could be awakened. But all that pain. Luffy needed that fruit. He had lived a life with it. "Luffy... Get stronger. For their sake." Shanks said as he stood. Taking off the hat he had kept for so many years, he placed it on Luffy's head. He was surprised he didn't burst into more tears.

"Thanks Shanks...I missed this hat." He said, touching it in it's nearly pristine state. Shanks didn't bother asking as he walked with Luffy towards the village. "We're leaving tomorrow Luffy. Don't go through that again. Please." He said, fighting the tears. The boy had lost so much, and was given a second chance. It was moving. "But, don't tell anyone. At least no one you wouldn't trust with your life." He said, grabbing Luffy's shoulder as they walked.


	2. Devil's Training and Zoro's Recruitment

Hello everyone! Thank you for reading my little Time Travel AU. I know it seems everyone has their own. Their however seems to be a common theme. Luffy believes his crew needs to grow stronger. While not necessarily the most original idea, this will be a different one from that. Luffy believes he was too weak to save anyone. That HE needs to be stronger. Luffy will definitely be darker, so OOC. Ten years of training to be stronger. Expect him to stroll through the East Blue and most of the first half of the Grand Line. Oh, and one more thing. Sorry for ending the last chapter like I did. Shanks believes Luffy has been through an entire life. The fact that Luffy wasn't shocked about the gift let him know he had done it once already. Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece.

* * *

Shanks was long gone when Luffy spotted his Grandfather. It was lucky Vice-Admiral Garp was coming to visit his Grandsons. Luffy could turn in the bounties on those damn bandits. Luffy started to think as the ship came closer. He remembered vaguely the beast that was Garp fighting his way through the battlefield. He hated him for letting them kill Ace. But he remembered the Devil that was unleashed when they killed Robin. He needed to be better. To be stronger than Garp, and to do that he'd need his help.

Garp smiled as he docked, despite the grotesque looks from his crew as they saw the pile of bandits sitting on the dock. Garp ran to his grandson, fist turning black. "Luffy! You can not run from the Fist of Love!" He yelled, expecting his grandson to run. To his surprise Luffy stood still. Accepting the punch stoically before flying back from it. "Bwahahaha! You're getting better Luffy! You're not running away from your Grandpa's Love!" Garp said as he walked after his flying grandson. Picking him up and smiling. "Have you given any thought to-" Before Garp could finish his question, Luffy pushed off.

"Grandpa. I don't know... I mean, I know how strong Shanks and the other pirates are. But how strong are you marines? I mean, those guys look ready to barf!" Luffy yelled, pointing at the marines trying to identify the bodies. Luffy didn't know why he was thinking so much better, but it sure was helping.

Garp clinched his fist and charged at them. "How dare you embarrass me in front of my grandson! He's going to be the most powerful marine!" He yelled as he charged, causing everyone to run back onto the ship or jump into the ocean, even at risk of a hung Sea King. After a few minutes of attempted murder, Garp returned to Luffy.

"Do you not think I'm the strongest person there is?!" Garp yelled, enraged by Luffy's games. "Well you're going to learn boy! I'm going to train you! You'll see how powerful the marines are!" Garp shouted as he snatched up his grandson. "Luckily your survival skills are top notch. Hell, you even got these bandits! Let's work on your strength. How many bears are on this island?" He asked as he carried Luffy towards the woods. Smiling at the thought of Admiral Monkey D. Luffy.

Luffy could hardly contain his grin. This was really too easy. One comment and Garp was committed to making a seven year old the most powerful person in East Blue, as long as he wasn't there. Maybe his brain was rubber too? Can't be, Luffy thought, he's just an old geezer. His started to laugh, which caught Garp's attention. "I take it that means a lot of bears! Perfect! How many can you fight at once?"

The training on Luffy was dreadful. Bear fights. Bare Fights in the cold. Bare Bear Fights in the cold. That was the warm up! Garp only ramped it up from their. Luffy had to endure constant hits, before finally he remembered something. Garp could teach him the _rokushiki_.

"Grandpa. This is pointless. I'd need a body as tough as iron to these blows!" Luffy said, panting as he looked at his bruised body. He was definitely stronger from the merging, but he was still seven and not yet rubber. He had enough training with the Rubber Body, he wanted to be as powerful as possible before then. Garp smirked at the comment, knowing exactly what he could do.

"Than I'll just have to make you as tough as Iron!" Garp called out, fire in his eyes. His grandson would be the most powerful marine in history!

It took weeks to teach Luffy Tekkai, which shocked Garp. He wasn't yet a master, but Luffy was making tremendous progress. The bears were barely hurting him anymore! Maybe he should use less bears... Bah! Bears build character.

Luffy could only smile. He was doing a lot better this time around. But he needed to know all the powers. Everything his grandfather could teach him. "Grandpa...This is great and all but, I'm just not fast enough. I can't move to hit those damn bears." His grandfather was too easy. It only took that before he started learning Soru. He began to think about the CP9 bastards, driving him to fight harder. He was going to master their "Secret Techniques" before they ever met.

Another few weeks before he was using Soru! Garp was amazed! Luffy was training with the determination of a hundred marines. What drove him? Could it be to be as great as his gramps?!

Luffy took a deep breath before using Tekkai, negating the effects of the bears heavy swipe. He flew into a tree, cracking it apart. "Grandpa. These don't help my offense! I gotta kick this bear's ass!" Garp rushed to his grandson, punching the bear as he did. "Luffy! Do you want to be the best marine?!" "I want to be stronger than all the admirals combined!" Luffy yelled, not necessarily lying to his grandfather. "Than we need to do REAL TRAINING!" _Jesus Burgess,_ what were _all of these bears for?!_

* * *

Luffy worked to master the Six Powers his grandfather taught him for years. Not stopping for rest, except maybe to eat… But otherwise he was tireless. Garp was beyond proud of his grandson, but even he couldn't tell anyone about this training. Luffy was immensely powerful. Able to Soru across the island, Geppo into the air, Tekkai most all blows, his Rankyaku tore apart trees and his Shigan pierced the vicious bears. He knew the basis of these powers from his fight, and would be sure to use them.

Garp was astounded, and terrified. Luffy hadn't been his usual self. He was destroying more forest, killing more non bear animals, yelling at all hours of the night. Luffy told him it was just nerves. He finally told Garp he wasn't going to leave with him. Even Tekkai couldn't protect him from the punch that followed. "Grandpa please! I just want to have some adventures first! Not everyone out there is a bear." He huffed, getting upset. Garp merely sighed, acknowledging the fact. Luffy was getting smarter too. He was talking Garp down from recruiting him.

Luffy gave his grandfather a hug. Squeezing him tight enough to make Garp groan. He had given Luffy what he needed. Strength. Strength to fix what went wrong. In his previous life Garp was an enemy. He would be in this life too. But he couldn't express his gratitude enough. Luffy was going to make it right this time. He started crying at the thought of fighting him. He had done so much for a lie...

Garp was in tears. He couldn't remember a time he had actually hugged his own grandson. Ace was a lost cause, he had sworn to fight Whitebeard and become the most powerful pirate. He loved him greatly. But Luffy was trying to follow in his grandfather's footsteps! He was training to be the greatest marine! The two blubbering monkeys said their goodbyes, and Garp left. Heading for the Grand Line.

* * *

Luffy went to Makino to collect his Gum Gum Fruit. He felt a lot smarter without it. He even found himself thinking dirty thoughts about Robin and her Miss All Sunday outfit. He shook them off, not wanting to turn into Sanji. He stared at the fruit as he started to load his ship. "No turning back. I'll need the knowledge." He said to himself as he ate the fruit. Fighting a gag at the taste. He felt his body turn to Rubber. The first time was terrifying. He was young and innocent. But now, he had lived over ten years in one life with the fruit. It would be interesting to see what he could do this time.

He gave the Lord of the Coast a good punch as he left. He hadn't taken Shanks arm this time, but he did last time. He enjoyed the smooth ride before feeling the swirling sensation. "Oh crap, forgot about that." He said to himself before climbing in an empty barrel. "Hope this wasn't dumb luck last time..." He said, sealing the barrel off.

* * *

Coby dragged the barrel along, trying not to make much noise in hopes of avoiding the wrath of angry pirates. He just hoped Lady Alvida would be happy over his discovery. It could be booze for the crew. Or sweets for her. Anything to make them like him a little more…

He got to see as three pirates barged down, threatening the young man as they surrounded the barrel. Luffy heard them and exploded from the barrel, not bothering to ask questions as he knocked out the other two pirates. "Hey, Co-kid! Got any meat?" That was close, he nearly made a mistake right away. The kid nodded and took him to their food storage, letting him take the meat he wanted.

"Mmmm. Thanks. So where's the captain?" Luffy asked, looking around. Coby cowered at the mention of a the captain, causing Luffy to remember "Lady Alvida!" Coby yelled, dragging Luffy away from the crashing woman and up to the main deck. Luffy was stuck in thought, the fat whale actually became sexy after that slip slip thing...Plus she swung that club really well. He looked around and realized the crew were about to charge him. He didn't bother the old routine, choosing to kick them all against the Captain's Quarters.

"What the hell do you think you're-"

"SHUT IT YOU FAT WHALE!" Luffy yelled, enraging the large woman. Everyone else froze in terror as Alvida swung her mighty club.

"Tekkai!" He yelled, watching the mace make contact with his head. A smirk came across his face as it shattered. "That wasn't very nice, you whale." He said, drawing both of his arms back.

'I hope this is the right direction...She needs to lose some weight.' He thought before launching her.

"Hey, shitty pirate guys. I want a ship, and your cabin boy." Luffy said, grabbing up Coby and following the terrified pirates to a smaller personal craft.

* * *

They chatted during the boat ride, talking about their dreams. Coby was inspired by Luffy's passion. Even with impossible odds. They docked at an island named Shells Town, where Coby was excited to enroll with the marines. Luffy was excited to recruit his first crew member, Zoro. Luffy decided to scare the townsfolk with Zoro and Morgan's names, helping lead Coby to his understanding of the corrupt Captain.

Ignoring various warnings, Luffy jumped up. Staring at the tied up swordsman. It enraged him to think this was all for nothing. That Helmeppo would back out of their deal. It didn't matter. Zoro would join his crew and none of it would matter. He waited as the girl arrived on cue, running to Zoro and offering her rice balls to him. Luffy cracked his neck and got ready to catch her. That he remembered. He jumped up, caught her, and set her down. "Coby, take her home. I gotta get a crew mate." Luffy said with a smile as he jumped in. He remembered Helmeppo coming to the shop again, so actually getting Zoro would have to wait until he punched that stupid face of his.

"Join my crew"

"No"

"Join it"

"No!"

"Join!"

"Dammit I said no!"

Luffy groaned picked up the rice from the ground. "At least eat you stubborn boar! That girl worked hard on it for you!" He yelled, preventing Zoro from hurting his pride. He ate it desperately, sending his thanks through Luffy.

"He really liked it?" Rika asked, stars in her eyes.

"He sure did. Hey, can try some? Rice balls with sugar sounds delicious." He said, licking his lips at the thought of the sweet treat. She rushed to make some. Leaving the rubber man waiting, hungry. Before he could get his treat, Helmeppo barged in, rudely demanding some food.

Luffy was tired of waiting, simply getting up and walking to the effeminate young man. "Hey, Butt-Chin. What do you plan to do with Zoro?" Luffy asked, knowing it was coming up.

"Do you know who I am?! Maybe you should be executed with tha-" Luffy punched Helmeppo in the face and began to drag him, uninterested in hunting him down a second time to find Zoro's swords. The marines ran back to the base, unwilling to interfere with a man so bold as to assault Morgan's son. Coby chased after, asking what was wrong with him. "Just go tell Zoro what this guy said. I'll be there soon." Luffy said as he climbed up the wall, letting the boy's face drag across the wall as he jumped up and crashed through the roof.

"Hey! Butt-face! Wake up!" He yelled, slapping Helmeppo senseless. "Where's your room?" He asked, waiting for the directions. He charged with him to it, avoiding the marines with ease. "Finally. Run off you wimp." He said, tossing him backwards as he grabbed Zoro's swords and jumped towards him and Coby. Knowing a firing squad was about to waste ammunition.

* * *

"Fire!" Captain Morgan ordered. He would teach this "Bounty Hunter" and pink haired pipsqueak what happens to traitors!

'That damn Straw Hatted Moron! I'm going to die cause he can't find three damn swords!'

'Oh no. Oh no. Luffy said he would save them! Now he was going to die from marines!'

'I wonder if I'll get to try those sugar rice balls after this...'

Luffy landed on his feet in front of the two, deciding to use another tactic.

"Tekkai." He said to himself, watching the bullets hit him, compress, and fall to the ground uselessly. He turned to slice Zoro's ropes. It was a lot easier than untying them. He turned back to the marines.

"You're an enemy of the marines now."

"Yupp"

"They'll definitely hunt you."

"I suppose."

"Why not join my crew? Someone like you could become the best swordsman in the world."

Zoro smiled before putting Wado in his mouth. "I'll join you. But no getting in the way of my dream. I will be the world's greatest swordsman." He said simply, knowing the Straw Hat must have gotten that. He seemed to respect him already.

"Dammit! What the hell is this kid?! If bullets won't work, use your swords!" Morgan yelled in anger, making everyone draw their swords and charge.

"Zoro, let me handle these guys first." Luffy said, walking forward and standing still. "Tekkai." He said to himself once more, waiting for the flurry of slices.

The swords broke on contact with the boy's body, leaving them all cowering in fear. They backed away and looked back to Captain Morgan for orders.

"You weaklings! Everyone who won't fight, take out your pistols and-" Luffy was in front of Morgan with a flurry of kicks, though no one could even see.

"Belay that order! All marines retreat to the base!" Luffy shouted back in a fiercer tone than Morgan. They all retreated, praying the stranger would save them.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! Look at me! I am the Captain Now!" Morgan yelled, swinging his ax at the fool.

Luffy caught it as Zoro went to guard, shocking both of them.

"You're nothing but a tyrant!" Luffy yelled, twisting the ax around, snapping the arm where it was connected. Luffy ripped it out and threw it on the ground. "You don't value the lives of your men! Marines join to protect people! Not to kill themselves when their commanders lose!" Luffy screamed as he jumped and kicked the man back, causing him to fly into his own statue.

"See that, boy?! That statue is a symbol of my power! Marines under me join for the privilege of following my orders!" Morgan yelled, boasting despite the loss of his ax.

Luffy looked at the statue he had destroyed once before. "Than I'll destroy that _ugly ass slab of rock!_ " Luffy yelled as he ran past the enraged captain. Zoro leaned against the wall, watching with a smile. This should hurt the fugly bastard's ego.

Luffy didn't want to hurt is ego. He wanted to hurt him. As Morgan prattled on about his word being law, Luffy grabbed the base of the statue and lifted it up high. Staring in anger at the terrified Captain. The reality of his situations shattering his inflated ego.

Zoro's jaw dropped. The lanky teenager he assumed was just tough was also insanely strong. He lifted a giant stone statue with relative ease and was about to use it like an oversized Whack-A-Mole hammer.

" **MARINES DON'T TAKE INNOCENT LIVES! NO TRUE MARINE WOULD!** " Luffy yelled as he swung the massive statue, crushing Morgan with his own giant head. A fitting end for the brute of a man. Luffy made sure to smash him in a few more times to turn the statue itself to dust. He walked past the bloody pulp that was Captain "Axe-Hand" Morgan and to his new crew mate. "Come on Zoro! Rika owes me some Rice Balls!" He yelled happily as he dragged Zoro towards the little restaurant.

'What kind of monster did I sign up with?!' Zoro thought as he was dragged. He had killed the captain with his own statue, and wanted to eat Rice Balls in the same town!

* * *

The ridiculous premise didn't stop Luffy from gorging himself at the restaurant. When the marines marched in, Luffy didn't even slow down. Except to stay Zoro's hand.

"You're the one who...killed Captain Morgan?" The marine in front asked, shaking visibly as he confronted the boy.

"Huh? Oh, ax guy. Sorry about that. He was a jerk so I decided he shouldn't live anymore." Luffy said before continuing to eat.

'That's why?! He just decided?!' Everyone around him thought, unaware that it was much more in his head.

"Well...no matter the reason. Thank you. We can't allow you to stay because you're..."

"Because we're what?" Luffy asked, smiling to Zoro as he turned around. Luffy wasn't ashamed of being a pirate, but he didn't need to scream it out yet. He didn't even have a boat yet.

"Well...we assumed you were pirates." The new captain said, scratching his head.

"Why? I don't have a ship. I don't have a 'crew.' Zoro here is a Pirate Hunter." Luffy said, listing true facts that contributed to his apparent innocence.

"Than...what are you?" The man asked, stepping back as the boy stood up.

"A concerned citizen. Now, would you do me a favor?" He asked, smiling wide. "Coby here really wants to be a marine. But he was abducted by." "Luffy! Shut up!" "Coby. I got this." Luffy responded with a smile.

"Look. Coby was abducted by some fat lard of a pirate named Velveeta or something. He wants to be a marine so he can arrest pirates like that. Can you help?" Luffy asked the man, who looked them over.

"Typically we don't take anyone with previous pirate experience, but if he was kidnapped..."

"Great! So there's the favor for killing that Moron guy. Now, a second one."

"That alone was enough to threaten all of our careers! What could possibly make us take another?!"

"Just send Coby and that Helmetto guy to my Grandpa, Monkey D. Garp. He could make marines out of them." Luffy said with a smile, shooting a thumbs up at Coby.

After a moment of silence, everyone within earshot yelled in unison. "MONKEY D. GARP IS YOUR GRANDFATHER?!"

Luffy laughed and dragged Zoro out. "Just tell him Luffy sent them as a replacement! See ya!" He yelled, dragging Zoro to his boat. As they sailed, Luffy began to laugh.

"I'm totally going to kick his ass when he gets stronger!"


	3. Buggy and Kuro, Luffy's Punching Bags

Hello everyone! Thank you for giving this fanfic a look rather than any of the other fantastic ones out there. I plan on working incredibly hard on this to compete with the other ones out there. Please give any feedback you feel will help this story be better. I value your input and will respond to any questions asked. I thought I'd post another chapter of this to help it keep up with my main project, Deep Love. But enough of this self-promoting writer stuff. Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece and rightfully so.

* * *

"Oh god Luffy. Why didn't we bring a map." Zoro complained, laying back on the mini boat.

"We should have brought more food." Luffy groaned, staring in the sky. Maybe he could eat that big bird? Wait...Big Bird?! He needed that!

"Zoro! I see food! Follow me!" Luffy said, readying himself the Rocket. Zoro sat up and watched as his new captain soared into the sky. "Dammit!" He said as he grabbed a paddle and voraciously sped after him.

"Ha! Stupid Bird! Didn't catch me in your mouth this time!" Luffy yelled triumphantly, holding onto the bird as he looked in the distance. "Huh. That was where we were headed. I didn't need to come up here!" Luffy yelled in anger, scaring the bird into flying faster. "Well at least it'll be fast..."

* * *

"Paddle faster! If I lose him, you lose your life!" Zoro yelled at the terrified pirates. They had been 'saved' by Zoro as he paddled towards his lost captain. After a piss poor robbery attempt, they were in charge of paddling.

"Oh son of a!" Luffy yelled as he soared down towards the grown, slamming between a fiery orange haired young girl and two angry pirates.

Nami smiled as the man got up, seemingly unharmed. "Oh Boss! You're here! You can-" Before she could finish her plan, the boy punched the two pirates and turned back to the woman, smile plastered across his face.

"Hello. Sorry about that, I could tell you just wanted me to beat those guys up for you." Luffy said with a smile, causing the woman to calm down.

"Well...thanks. I guess I owe you a reward…?"

"Luffy. Monkey D. Luffy." He said, sticking out his hand to shake hers.

"Nami. Just Nami." She said, leading him into a nearby building. "I think there's some food in here."

"Great! Thanks Nami!" Luffy said, rushing to scoop up every ounce of meat. "Hey, have you seen a dumb looking clown guy?"

"Umm...you mean Buggy?" She asked a bit hesitantly, gripping her staff.

"Yeah. I remembered I need to beat him up. Mind showing me where he is?"

"Don't be insane! Buggy is dumb, but he's too powerful for-" Luffy punched threw the stone wall of the house, staring Nami in the eyes.

"No one is too powerful for me." He said, fighting the terrible images flashing through his head. "I'll even let you keep his dumb treasure if you help me navigate for a little while. It's just me and my friend and we both suck at navigating." Luffy said, brokering a deal with Nami instead of trying the old routine. She'd need to trust him enough to deal with Arlong. He didn't want her crawling back to the bastard.

"Fine, I'll lead you to him. But it's not on me if you die!" She said, pulling out some rope. "But I have a plan..."

"Woah woah woah. No rope. Bad experience one time." Luffy said, remembering when Nami tied him up last time.

"Did someone do stuff to your-"

"Just show me where he is!" Luffy yelled in embarrassment, not wanting her to finish the question. "But no. Just. Ugh..." Luffy walked with her, face red.

"Haha, touch a nerve, Luffy?" She asked, elbowing him. She didn't get to tease many people with the life she lived, so this was fun. And she'd be getting paid for watching him fight Buggy!

"No one has shoved anything anywhere!" He yelled, defending the truth and making it seem like a lie.

"Maybe when the time is right. But you should wait till you're married." She said, teasing him further. As she looked over, she saw him frozen, staring at the ground. "Hey, Luffy. What's wrong? That was a joke..." She said timidly.

"Sorry Nami. Just thinking about my wife." He said, tears falling down as he thought of her. His beautiful Robin.

"Wait what? You're married?" She said, quickly feeling bad.

"I was married." He said, walking forward with a gripped fist, tears spilling down from his now angry face.

Nami quickly dropped it, feeling it better than apologizing and bringing it back up.

"Okay, so here he is. Let's just...and he's gone." She sighed, watching Luffy run up to their position.

Luffy's breath became more rapid. He needed to get past that right now. Buggy was his enemy, even though Buggy had made a half-alliance at the end. He helped buy time, but he was once again an enemy. One he'd have to spare, just in case.

"Hey, Buggy!" Luffy yelled, fighting the urge to call him Big Nose, Big Red Nose, Big Dumb Red Nose, and every other name he could think of.

"Who the hell is interrupting our party?" Buggy yelled, charging out to the boy. "What do you want, fool? A flashy death?!"

"I want a fight. Everyone but the unicycle guy versus me." He said, pointing to the man he remembered to be a weird circus performer. He didn't bother with actual names.

"So it is a flashy death you want!" Buggy yelled, separating his limbs. "Well than I must warn you, I am a Chop Chop Man! No sword can ever harm me!" He yelled, swirling his limbs around as Zoro came into view.

"Good thing I didn't try to fight you than." He said with a smirk. "So captain, who gets who?"

"You get unicycle guy. He looks like a trickster so I'll deal with the rest."

Zoro was about to suggest otherwise, but remembered the statue incident and put Wado in his mouth. "Aye Aye"

* * *

Luffy charged at the group, quickly dispatching the normal grunts with single, non rubber hits. His immense strength making them too powerful to use without a greater risk of death. "Hey, nice hair." He complimented the man on a giant lion.

"Thank you! You know almost no one ever notices it's actually my hair!" He said, distracted enough for Luffy to jump up and launch Gum Gum Battleaxe directly on the two sideshow freaks. This battle was going a lot faster when he took it more seriously.

Buggy was enraged as two men defeated his entire crew. Buggy was far too focused on the rampaging Luffy to assist with Cabaji's fight. "Quick! Cabaji! Take out this...AHHH!" Buggy turned to see Cabaji on the ground in a pool of blood.

"He's a decent trickster. But a shitty swordsman." Zoro said, panting from avoiding the tricks. Buggy backed away, staring at the Straw Hat Boy.

"Dammit! You two are a real pain in the ass! Especially you Straw Hat!" Buggy said as he separated his body, preparing the Chop Chop Carnival. "Your hat really pisses me off! I think...You?!" Buggy yelled as he spotted Nami. "Stealing my treasure?! You little." Buggy's face froze before in contorted in pain.

Luffy laughed as he stomped on his toes. Forcing him to fall down in pain. Nami threw the rope to Luffy to tie him up.

"See ya Big Nose." Luffy said with a smirk before launching him into the sky. "That was fun. Hey Nami! How much did you get?!" Luffy called as he ran over, smiling at her.

"Oh. Umm." She looked at him with a smile. "Doesn't matter. It's mine right?" She asked, scared of what he'd do with the massive amount. He just took out Buggy's crew, she couldn't stop him if he wanted the loot.

"Well of course. Something tells me you need the money." Luffy said with a smile as they walked away, leaving the mayor and the rest of the town to charge in, prepared to fight. However shocked to see that they were already defeated.

"Where to next, Captain?" Zoro asked with a smile as they sailed alongside Nami in her stolen Buggy ship.

"W-wait. Are you two?"

"Concerned citizens, Nami. Buggy was attacking that town. I don't like pirates who take advantage of small, defenseless towns." Luffy said, thinking forward to Arlong.

"Now, we need to get a new boat. And a Sniper!" Luffy yelled with confidence. Knowing he would get both of these things soon.

* * *

The two men tried to nap as Nami took care of navigating. Luffy trusted she wouldn't betray them, at least not yet. Luffy wasn't focused on being the Pirate King. He wasn't even a Pirate yet. He just wanted to save his family.

"Wake up you two. Land ho!" Nami called with a smile on her face as they neared the island.

Luffy jumped from the boat once they got close enough, looking up the rocks to scout for his friend.

"Halt, Pirates! For I, the Great Captain Usopp!"

"Hey Usopp! Glad I finally get to meet you!" Luffy called, sitting and waiting as Nami and Zoro tied off the ships.

"Wait...what?! How do you know who I am?"

"You told him your name moron!" Nami called from the distance, walking closer.

"Oh yeah...Than what do you mean finally meet me?!" Usopp asked, rephrasing the question.

"Oh yeah… I knew your dad! Yassop!" Luffy yelled, wiping his brow at the relief, that was too close.

"Y-you knew my dad?" Usopp asked, on the verge of crying.

"Yeah! He was great! A true warrior of the sea!" Luffy smirked, knowing exactly how to get at him.

"Thank you!" Usopp called as he turned around, crying face hidden from view. His sobs however loud enough to hear.

"Just give me meat! We can talk about him!" Luffy said, jumping up to his side and helping him up. "Come on guys! There's gotta be a restaurant in town!" Luffy called to his crew as he ran with Usopp, remembering where he could get food.

* * *

Usopp took a quick liking to Luffy. He talked highly of his father, respecting his skill and life of adventure. Though Luffy was careful to never say he'd be a pirate himself. If Nami didn't know, they could fight Arlong without the thievery.

"Hey, Usopp. Got a girlfriend you need to see?" Luffy asked, smirking before he took a bite of meat. He always thought they were cute together. At least now he realized that's what he thought. Having the brain of a seven year old turn to rubber sure did suck.

Usopp quickly ran, apologizing as he raced to meet the unknown woman he refused to admit was his girlfriend. Poor Usopp…

"Come on guys, I wanna meet the mystery woman!" Luffy yelled, leaving with his crew to search for him. Luckily he knew exactly who and where she was.

Luffy rocketed over the walls surrounded the mansion, making sure he took the blunt for Nami. He really didn't want to get hit by her. Nami took it a bit differently, turning red at the thought he put into protecting her. Leaving Zoro to land head first.

"Oh, these are my loyal crew members of the Usopp Pirates!" Usopp yelled, standing proudly to show of to Kaya. She needed these stories.

"That figures.." A man in a suit said as he walked towards them. "A pathetic crew for a pathetic pirate." He said with a smile. "Just like your father, Usopp. A worthless pirate."

"Hey, I remember you! You're Kuro!" Luffy yelled, leaving the man frozen in place. "Hey! Rich lady! You hire former pirate captains?!" Luffy yelled back at Kaya, who looked in confusion at Kuro. "Klahadore...what's he talking about?" Kaya asked the frozen butler.

"I surely don't know what you're talking."

"Yeah! You were captain of some Black Cats or something. The smartest...Whoops. Second smartest man on the sea." Luffy said, laughing his way through it.

Kuro was infuriated. He had been working on this plan for three years and this idiot was tearing it apart! Then he had the gall to insult his intelligence! It was absurd!

"Hey, Rich Lady! This guy's really good at planning!" Luffy yelled back, enjoying how he could rip apart the plan. Kuro was a bastard, so maybe he could prevent him from hurting his crew. He smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out a bounty poster he had been saving for just such an occasion. "Take a look."

Kuro was almost foaming with anger. How could he have known all of this?! Kuro was strong, but without his cat claws he couldn't fight them all. But if he ran, he'd be a definite target. He had to rely on his cunning. "Kaya, look at me. I would nev-"

"Shut up you shitty butler!" Usopp yelled as he charged the butler, punching him in the face as Kaya stared at the bounty poster. There was no mistaking her long time caretaker Klahadore for the infamous Kuro.

"Usopp don't! He's dangerous!" Kaya yelled, trying to prevent him from being hurt.

Kuro drew back his fist to strike, but it was held in place by a stretched hand. "Hi. I'm Monkey D. Luffy. I'm going to kick your ass!" Luffy said, drawing his other fist back to drive it into Kuro's face. Breaking his glasses in the process.

Luffy didn't care for the new introduction, but it would keep him from being shot so often. He let Kuro's body fall and walked with Usopp inside. Zoro was told to guard it while he and Nami would try and get a reward for preventing the attack.

"Hey, Kaya. Can we get a ship? Shishishi. We're currently on crappy little boats we could die on." Luffy said, scaring Nami.

"Certainly! Thank you for stopping Klah- Kuro. Who knows what he was planning..." She said, making Luffy laugh.

"No problem. Hey! You look so cool! I want it modeled after you!" Luffy yelled as he saw her truly loyal butler, Merry.

* * *

Luffy and Zoro mocked Kuro from his bindings as they waited on the ship. The only thing really needed was to modify the figurehead. As they were preparing to leave, Luffy remembered something. "Yo! Kaya! Got a Den Den Mushi?!" Luffy yelled, looking down at the captured Kuro. He waited for Merry to return with their full size Mushi.

Luffy luckily remembered his Grandfather's number. He told him to call him for anything, which, up until now, was turning in people he fought.

"Hey Gramps! No. No this isn't about joining the marines. I have been giving it thought. No, it's not my job to upset you. Grandpa! Thank you. Can you come to Syrup Village and pick up this pirate I beat up for me? I don't remember, he fights like a pussy...cat. Cat guy." Luffy said, purposely toying with Kuro. "Kuro! That's it. Yeah. Yeah the dead guy. He wasn't dead. I don't know but he's not. No I don't need the bounty." Luffy said, jumping to avoid an enraged Nami. "I'm not a bounty hunter Gramps. I still have my savings. Yes I know I know, don't blow it on anything you wouldn't buy. I'M NOT BUYING 8 MILLION BERI WORTH OF BOOZE GRANDPA! Thank you. Love you Gramps!"

Luffy hung up the Den Den Mushi and returned it to Merry. "Who was that, Luffy?" Nami asked, confused to what marine he could possibly know.

"Just my Grandpa, _Garp_." Luffy said with a smile. Garp really could help him with his name alone.

Just as those uniformed were about to ask, Usopp barreled down towards them, giant backpack forcing him to roll.

"Zoro, don't aim for his face." Luffy said as he stuck up his foot. The two legs of the Monster Duo stopped the rolling Usopp quickly, leaving him dizzy. "T-thanks guys." He said weakly, sicking from all the rolling.

"I just thought I'd say goodbye to you guys, since I'm going out to become a pirate like my Dad!" Usopp said as he stood properly and tried walking over to Kaya.

"What the hell are you talking about? Come with us you idiot!" Luffy yelled, jumping aboard the ship. "We need a sniper," Luffy said with a smile. "and the son of Yassop has gotta be the best one in the World!"

Usopp started to cry before he wiped his tears. "Alright! I'll join!" "No being the captain!" "Dammit… Well Kaya… I guess this is goodbye. When you next see me, I'll be a great warrior. The stories I tell you will be even better! I'll be!"

"Kiss her you idiot!" Luffy yelled, shocking everyone but Kaya. "Ugh! Kaya you do it!" He yelled, which she happily did.

"Be safe, Usopp. I'll want to hear your new stories." She said with a blush, waving them goodbye as Luffy dragged a paralyzed Usopp on board.

"Luffy, how did you know?" Nami asked, smiling at the goofy look stuck on Usopp's face.

"Are you kidding? Anyone could see she loved him. He was just too scared to make a move." He said as he leaned on the railing, looking out at the waves.

"Yeah I guess...Anyone could see." Nami said as she walked to the helm, sadness taking over her face.

* * *

Ooooh. What's this? The entire Buggy pirates defeated in one fight? The mayor never meeting the valiant heroes? Luffy doesn't let anyone know he's a pirate? What has this man done to my beautiful world? Where's the three chapters describing the fight with a clown, a unicyclist, and a giant cat? Where's the full scale invasion of Syrup Village? Well there's a simple explanation for that. Luffy doesn't care. He doesn't need to do every little thing again. He knows he can defeat everyone in the East Blue with his eyes closed. He knew he'd meet Kuro and planned ahead, because he's smarter. So, I apologize for tearing this world asunder. Also, tell me what you think of the slight hints a LuNa. There won't be any, Luffy may have dirty thoughts now, but he wants to be Happily married.


	4. No more Foul Play

Hello everyone! Who's ready to meet everyone's favorite red lollipop sucking cook?… I have just been informed that mentioning that dark history will get me killed. I apologize. Beware the dangerous OOC! On with the story! Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece.

* * *

Luffy laughed to himself as he watched his crew. It was nice to see them all again. Ten long years he'd been waiting. To think he still had so many more to go...He watched Usopp take aim at some rocks when it hit him. Johnny and Yosaku!

"Usopp stop! I see someone on those rocks!" Luffy yelled as he jumped down, turning the cannon to fire into the ocean harmlessly. "Yo! You guys! Swim over here! We want to help!" He yelled at the rocks, making everyone scratch their heads in annoyance.

They quickly stopped when a man swam towards their ship, his friend on his back. Luffy decided to boost some egos.

"Oh cool! You're Johnny and Yosaku! Awesome! Guys, bounty hunters!" Luffy yelled, perking Zoro's interest.

'He's really heard of them? Huh, good for them.' He thought as he went to see them. Luffy pulled them up effortless.

"Thanks big bro! We'd have big stuck there if not for you!" Johnny yelled, putting Yosaku down on the deck.

"Big Bro Zoro! You're here!" He yelled in relief at the sight of his 'Big Bro' "You gotta help Yosaku! He's dying!" Johnny said, tears falling as he knelt by him.

"Oh, him? Looks like scurvy." Luffy said, surprising everyone.

"Usopp! Go get some limes! He needs Vitamin C!" Nami ordered, squatting by the 'dying' man.

He rushed off and came back, carrying an armload of limes. He squeezed them out into his mouth.

"There...He should be better in...What the hell?!" Nami yelled as Yosaku jumped up and danced with Johnny, happy to be alive. "You can't get over scurvy that quickly!" She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "At least Luffy knows the basics of surviving on the sea. But still, we need a cook. Nami said as she leaned against the railing.

"We can show you where you can get a cook, Big Sister!" Johnny said, stopping their dancing. "Yeah! There's a restaurant in the sea!"

"Oh yeah, the Baratie! That will be fun." Luffy said, shocking everyone once more. "What? A pirate run restaurant in the middle of the sea. How do you not know about that?" He asked, cocking his head and making his crew feel like the crazy ones.

* * *

After some sailing a brief history lesson, given shockingly by Luffy, they got close to the Baratie. Where Luffy got to enjoy another encounter with Lieutenant Fullbody.

"You there, boy! Who are you?" The pink haired man yelled at the ship. Curious about the small group.

"Monkey D. Luffy. Concerned Citizen. Aren't you that Lieutenant No-Body?" Luffy asked with a smirk. The guy wasn't that bad, but he was a dick at first.

"How dare you insult me?! Fire on that ship!"

"If you value your lives and career, you won't do that." Luffy said to the man, using Soru to appear on his ship. The marines all aimed their rifles at the man who just boarded them.

"W-who the hell do you think you are?" Fullbody asked, clenching his fist.

Luffy wordlessly picked him up by the collar. Staring deep into his eyes. "I am Monkey D. Luffy. Grandson of Monkey D. Garp. If you so much as look at my friends, I swear I-" A rifle shot out, leaving Nami, Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku frozen in fear.

" _Luffy!_ Big Bro Luffy!" They cried out at the thought of him being shot easily.

Luffy smirked and dropped Fullbody down, the bullet stretched his body and clocked Fullbody in a very sensitive spot.

"So, you open fired on me. When I didn't hurt a single marine." He said, covering his eyes with his hat before smiling wide. The marines all dropped their guns, except the one who had fired. He stared in horror at the man who brushed off a bullet. "I guess that means… You guys really suck." Luffy said as he walked over to the railing. Jumping over to The Going Merry.

"Come on guys, I'm hungry." Luffy said as they pulled up next to the restaurant. He laughed as he walked in, commenting on the looks on their faces. They were given a table and Luffy nearly passed out when he saw someone in the back. A gorgeous woman with purple leather clothing and a White Cowboy Hat. "R-robin..?" He asked before Nami forced him into his seat.

Luffy couldn't think about food for the first time in his life. Asking for water as he turned his head back to his Wife. Wife-to-be? Enemy? He didn't know what to call her yet. She was here the whole time? How long had she been following him in his first try? The world crashed down as he felt a hit to his head. "Order you idiot! I'm not waiting all day!"

"Meat! Bring me meat!" Luffy yelled, turning his head as he saw Robin look towards him. The blonde cook huffed and wrote down meat. Luffy got to miss the introduction of his shameless flattery on Nami, which got her a free meal.

* * *

Luffy quickly stood and left the table, walking over to the beautiful woman in the corner. He didn't know what he was going to say. He couldn't think a minute ahead. He just needed to see her. He stood for a moment, staring at her as she read a paper on her table.

"Umm, excuse me. May I join you?" Luffy asked, swallowing down the urge to go sit back down and act like he hadn't seen her.

She looked up from her paper and smiled. The young man sure was bold. "I suppose, Straw Hat Luffy." She said with a smirk, though it didn't seem to phase the man in the slightest that she knew who he was.

"T-thank you." He said, sitting across from her and smiling. He couldn't stop staring. It had been so long. She looked as beautiful as ever. He couldn't fully admire her beauty, as he was asked a question.

"Is there a reason you wanted to sit with me?" She asked, shaking him from his admiration. He was infatuated with her already. Was he really this easy? He hadn't done this to his navigator from what she'd seen. She was going to ask for him to join soon, but it may be easier if he came to her so boldly.

"I know who you are." Luffy said, mind emptied of all rational thought. "You're Nico R-" Hands covered his mouth as her soft smile faded to a blank look. She positioned more hands in case he needed to be dealt with quickly and with lethal force.

"Do not speak my name, Straw Hat Luffy. How do you know me?" She asked, moving her hands from his mouth.

"It's a long story...But I know all about you." Luffy said, trusting her kind nature. He could hear commotion from the rest of the ship, so they may get some time yet.

"Than why should I keep you alive? You're a threat to my survival." She said coldly, staring into the boys charcoal eyes. There was fear in them, but not of death. She knew the fear of death in a person's eyes.

Luffy didn't say anything, the hands all disappeared from holding his head as she sighed. She'd have to kill everyone on the ship if she got rid of him, and that would raise a red flag she did not need.

"You can't kill me anyway." Luffy said, causing her to perk up.

"Why is that? Are you too powerful? Too quick to let a woman like me-"

"I've been dead for ten years, like you've been dead for twenty." He said, looking down at the table.

"You really do know a lot about me, almost know one even knows about Ohara anymore... That's good. You have a way of finding things out. I'd like to offer you a position in-"

"I'm not working for Crocodile. He's a lying cheat who'd kill anyone as soon as they were done being useful." He said, shocking her once more. "You may want to keep that in mind, Miss All Sunday." Luffy said as he got up. Fighting the tears and anger from the mere thought of Crocodile hurting her.

Robin was left staring at the wild eyed young man. He showed up, admitted knowing her, knew about Baroque Works and Crocodile's plans, and just left. She'd need to keep a close eye on him, at very least under the prospect of protecting their interests. She'd need to leave out his knowledge of knowing Mr. 0's identity, or else he may die too quickly for her enjoyment.

* * *

"Hey guys, sorry." Luffy said, scratching his head as he sat down and ate. He didn't converse in any small talk, which he normally would be the go to for. After he finished he pushed the his chair in and walked out towards where he knew Gin and Sanji would be. He had missed the entire ordeal and wanted to catch the important bit.

"Thank you so much! This is the best rice I've ever had!" Gin cried as he scarfed down the delicious rice. Tears down his face as he talked about the pain he felt from hunger.

"Hey, Sanji! Join my crew! We need a cook!" Luffy yelled, interrupting the two.

"Dammit Straw Hat! We're having a moment!" Sanji yelled, turning his attention away from the starving man.

"Come on! Nami's on my crew!" He said, playing at his perverted nature.

"Nami-swan!" His eyes turned to hearts at the thought of her. "No! I owe it to the old man to-"

"To live your life! Geez, do you think he wants you stuck on this ship?"

Sanji gritted his teeth. "What the hell do you know?" He yelled, kicking at Luffy. "Gin, take care. I gotta go back to work." He said, walking past Straw Hat and going back inside.

* * *

Luffy sighed and went to the ship. He didn't want to work on the Baratie again, so he'd need to just tell them they were staying.

"Nami?! Where are you?! We need to talk!" Luffy called on the ship, hunting for his navigator. He needed to prevent her from running off again. It was too risky.

"What do you want, Luffy?" She asked as she came out of her room. Looking with concern at her captain. Luffy pulled her back inside.

"This conversation needs to be private. I need to ask you an important question." He asked, keeping his voice low.

"Luffy, what are you talking about? What do you want to ask…?" She inquired, backing away from the now serious man.

He had to take a deep breath. He couldn't just ask about Arlong. It would be too out there. But why was she blushing? "Why do you need all this treasure?" It was a simple enough question, and he could expand upon it if she didn't give a straight answer.

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I want to be rich?" She said, shrugging it off as just greed.

"Why would you risk your life stealing from people who'd kill you just for looking at their treasure?" He asked, stepping closer to her.

"Well they have the most, and I feel the least guilty for taking it from them."

"But why be so stingy? You won't even pay for meals with stolen money!"

"Luffy. I need the money alright? It's important." She said, crossing her arms. "That's all I'm going to say."

Like hell it is. He sighed and pulled Arlong's wanted poster from his pocket. He asked Johnny and Yosaku for it. "Fishman Arlong. East Blue's greatest threat. He took over a few villages. His jolly-roger is on your shoulder." Luffy said, clenching his fist in anger. He didn't want to do this, but it beat her stabbing herself.

"Yeah well..that makes me a pirate doesn't it..Getting money for my...captain." The words tore apart her insides. She hated the bastard more than anyone, but she wasn't going to let Luffy and the others get themselves killed fighting him.

Luffy gritted his teeth. He knew Nami hated him. Almost as much as he hated Akainu. He wouldn't let her pretend anymore. Even if it meant blowing his cover. "Bellemere would be disgusted." Luffy said, looking up at her.

"H-how did you-"

Luffy luckily thought on his feet. "My Grandfather knew her. I know what Arlong did. I'm destroying him whether you stay with us or not. If you don't think I'm strong enough, you're as stupid as him." Luffy said as he walked out. Rubbing his head as he went to the Figurehead to think. He had missed Merry, and would hopefully get some comfort being with her.

* * *

The day passed without incident, to Luffy's relief. He didn't want anything he wasn't prepared for yet. It was bad enough Zoro would be fighting Mihawk so soon, but he had to. That was his dream. Luffy would need to keep calm and let it happen. Mihawk wouldn't kill Zoro, that much he could count on.

Luffy spent the next day berating Sanji about joining his crew. Even asking Zeff to help him do it quicker. But Sanji wouldn't budge. Luffy knew it would take the fight and the confrontation between Sanji and Zeff. He just hoped Nami could accompany them after this time.

Luffy didn't bother paying much attention to Don Krieg. He knew he was going to fight the jerk no matter what. As he left however, Luffy spoke up.

"Hey! Gold guy! If you come back here, I'm kicking your ass!" Luffy yelled, never leaving his chair.

"Who do you think you are to threaten me?! I'm the most powerful pirate in East Blue!" He yelled back in anger.

"You're a pathetic man who couldn't last a week on the Grand Line! You attack the people who help you and expect to get away with it?!" He got up and charged at him, leaving Gin to guard his captain.

"Luffy, don't." Sanji said, taking a deep puff of his cigarette. "If you kill this asshole, his men will starve." Sanji said, keeping him back.

"Thank you Sanji…Let's go captain." Gin said before leading his captain out.

* * *

Zeff informed his men of the oncoming attack, and had them prepare themselves. Luffy only sighed as he returned to the ship, telling Johnny and Yosaku to guard Merry, as well as Nami. She was still capable of running. She hadn't left her room since her talk with Luffy. They took the going Merry out away from where it would be harmed while the Baratie put up the Battle Fins.

Luffy decided to watch most of the battle. No cook died anyway so he didn't have to worry. Besides, he was too busy searching for Robin. He climbed to to top and spotted her in the distance, watching the fight. He smiled before he heard frightened screams and the sound of a ship being cut in half. Mihawk.

"Hawk Eye Mihawk. World's Greatest Swordsman. I challenge you!" Zoro yelled, staring down his target.

"Yo! Zoro! Don't let your anger consume you! It makes a swordsman sloppy!" Luffy yelled, hoping that would make Zoro fight a little better. He remembered Mihawk said something like that when he and Zoro fought.

"That boy's words ring true, Zoro. If you wish to die, we shall fight." He said, taking the dagger from his necklace.

Zoro was about to yell in anger, but swallowed it and focused. If the greatest swordsman believed a pocket knife could defeat him, he'd just prove him wrong.

Luffy watched, gritting his teeth further as Zoro fought the World's Greatest Swordsman. He knew Zoro would lose. But he'd do better this time. Show him what he could really do. Zoro told Mihawk why he fought. Why he'd always fight. The promise he'd made. After unleashing his final technique, Zoro stopped and turned to face Mihawk, preparing for his final blow.

Luffy didn't care to hear Zoro's words a second time. Zoro would live. Luffy hopped down and started walking towards the swordsman. No fear on his face as Zoro fell into the sea. Usopp fortunately was there to bring him up out of it and onto a small boat.

"Hey, Mihawk. You know Shanks, right?" Luffy asked. He was able to coax who Shanks was friends with out of him.

"Yes I am. How did you know?" Mihawk asked, interest peaked once more by the fearless boy.

"He told me. You mind telling him something for me next time you see him?"

"I suppose. Though I doubt it will be anytime soon."

"Thanks! Tell him to expect to read about me in the news soon. I have my eyes on a Shichibukai!" Luffy said with a smirk, making Mihawk reach for Yoru.

"Who do you have your sights on?" He asked. This boy was very unnerving. He didn't expect to find this powerful of an aura in the East Blue, or even Paradise.

"Oh, it's not you. You're cool. You even spared Zoro. Just be on the lookout. You'll know who I beat." Luffy said before hopping back. Ready to listen to Zoro's vow. That part he liked.

"He knew I spared him? Interesting boy..." Mihawk said out loud before walking to his ship. He stopped when he heard Zoro proclaim that he would never lose another battle. To become the strongest swordsman.

"Surpass this sword, Roronoa Zoro!" He yelled back. Feeling that was all to be said before he took to his boat and started sailing out of sight.

Luffy smiled when he saw the Going Merry in the spot he left it, with everyone on board. "Usopp! Take Zoro to the ship! I'm going to kick this guy's ass!" Luffy yelled as he ran up to the Baratie.

* * *

Luffy ran to Zeff just as Gin broke his peg leg, snatching him up while Gin focused on Sanji. Luffy decided to lay where Zeff had and watch Sanji. Once he noticed it was Luffy, he started fighting again some crazy guy who looked like a big egg.

"Dammit Sanji! I warned you!" Gin said as he turned his head to...Straw Hat?!

"God Dammit!" Gin yelled before firing right into Luffy's head. Leaving him laughing as he launched the bullet back.

"Yeah, not going to work. You shouldn't fight people who aren't in the fight." Luffy said before kicking Gin in the face. Causing him to fall over, unconscious.

"Dammit! You're all failures!" Krieg yelled as he climbed out of the sea and prepared his shield, just as Sanji was able to kick Pearl in the head and knocking him out. Without the threat to Zeff, he was a pushover.

"I've had it with you pests! Men, put on your masks! I'm preparing the MH-5!" Krieg yelled as he aimed up his shield. He put on his golden gas mask as his crew put on theirs. Luffy reached for one himself, when he realized something important. Gin!

Every cook that could rushed into the Baratie. Luffy ran over to Sanji and Gin, who were exhausted. Sanji luckily had found one from a dead man nearby. "Sanji! Put this on Gin!" Luffy yelled as he threw it, forgetting in the heat of the moment that Gin would have one too.

"You idiot!" Sanji yelled back as he put the mask on the unconscious Gin. Watching as the canister soared towards them.

"Don't you save him! He's a failure!" Krieg yelled as he saw the act of kindness. Enraged that anyone would help a failure.

Luffy tried one last time to gather up a mask, failing as the canister busted above him. Causing the purple gas to envelop his body.

'Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. Not now' He thought as he held his breath, desperately trying make it out of the gas cloud. He could no longer hold out and started to breathe rapidly. Causing him to close his eyes before he realized something. 'This crap is nothing compared to that Warden guy.'

Luffy could only smile at his new-found knowledge. This Krieg guy just became a lost less threatening. Luffy started sucking in all the poison around him, clearing the air as he swelled up to the size of his typically Gum Gum Balloon.

Everyone looked on in shock. The kid had a death-wish. Luffy turned his head towards the crew and blew out all the deadly poison before charging through it. His moves hidden by the thick gas.

These guys were the worst. Sanji and Zeff had fought to keep them alive through starvation, now this?! They attacked the people that kept them alive. There was only one answer.

"Krieg! You bastard!" He yelled as he came into view, pulling back his fist as Krieg readied for a punch.

"You can't hurt me, Straw Hat! I'm invincible!"

Luffy smiled as he launched a simple Gum Gum Pistol, shattering Krieg's Wootz Steel Armor with one blow. " _No one_ is invincible!" He yelled in anger as he sent Krieg backwards. He turned around and pulled out his spiked cape to avoid a second blow. " _Nobody!_ " He yelled before launching a second punch, impaling his own fist as he sent Krieg launching forward and into the sea.

Luffy sighed in relief as he drew his fist back. Krieg wasn't able to use as many tricks on him this time. He turned Soru'd back to avoid having to hop on anymore debris.

"Thank you, Straw Hat." Zeff said as he walked out and assessed the damage. It was surprisingly light on the ship itself. Thank god they had been prepared.

"You bastard." Gin said weakly as he limped towards Luffy. Breathing heavily. "I failed my captain. You defeated him. I..." Gin knelt before the man. "Kill me! I have no more reason to live!" He cried as he punched Luffy in the gut, trying to provoke an attack.

Luffy waved the cooks away as he sat by Gin. Taking his weak punches of desperation. "You don't know loss." Luffy said as Gin started to hit harder. Hoping to provoke some kind of attack from the man who may very well have killed his captain.

"I lost my captain! I lost my home! I lost-"

"You lost a selfish bastard who can't appreciate compassion!" He yelled as he drew up his knees. Crying into them as he yelled with anger. "I lost _everything!_ I lost my _brothers!_ I lost my _wife!_ I lost my _friends!_ I didn't have _anything!_ But _I Kept Fighting!_ " Luffy yelled as his eyes started to turn an abyssal black, scaring Gin and onlookers of the events.

"Gin, he may be an idiot, but he's right." Sanji interjected as he walked over, tossing the Gas Mask he had used to keep him alive. "The will to live is something within everyone. Through Starvation, Dehydration, Depression. They can all kill, but you can overcome them. Until you stop finding a reason to." Sanji said as he turned to Zeff.

"Zeff and I were enemies. He attacked the ship I was on, but saved my life. We were both stranded on a damn rock for so long. He gave me all of the food we had, but didn't tell me. I thought I only had half...so I tried to steal it. This...this old bastard _ate his own leg_ before he asked for a crumb!" Sanji cried as he buried his face in his arms. " _That's_ why I can't leave him! I owe him my life!"

"So you're not going to live it?!" Luffy yelled in anger, changing back is abyssal eyes. "He went through all of that torture so you could live! But now you won't follow your dreams?! You won't go out and live your own life?! How selfish are you?!"

Sanji froze and looked back at Zeff, who merely shook his head with a smile. "A wise boy.."

"Dammit! I'm not leaving until he recognizes me as a"

"He's already said it you moron! He just wants you to leave so he insults you constantly!"

Sanji almost swallowed his cigarette at the realization. "You old bastard...Thank you." He said with tears as he got up. "Gin. I don't know what you're going to do. But make sure you live."

"Now you get it! Come on Sanji! Nami needs us!" Luffy yelled, causing Sanji to rush from the group.

"Nami-swan! I'll rescue you! Bye everyone! A lady needs me!"

"Eh...Not the goodbye I expected..." Luffy said as he scratched his head. "Sorry guys! You know he meant well… Oh well, we gotta go beat up Arlong! Bye everyone!"

"Wait?! _Arlong!_ You'll be killed!"

"Shishishi. Sure I will be..." He said as he ran back to his ship. "Soru!" He kicked the ground and launched towards the ship. "Set sail, to Arlong park."

* * *

Meanwhile, some distance away on a giant turtle named Banchi.

Miss All-Sunday was spying on the events from afar. Straw Hat Luffy may have declined the invitation, but he was interesting enough to catch her attention. He defeated Buggy the Clown and his crew almost single handed. Stopped Kuro's master plan, whatever it may have been, before it was ever implemented, and now this. Defeating Don Krieg in a total of two hits after confronting Dracule Mihawk himself. Luffy was a big enough threat that she saw him reach for Yoru instead of his necklace knife. Now she had learned he was apparently marred in tragedy. But a boy that young had already been married, and was a widower? This poor boy. Hopefully she wouldn't have to kill him. She had many questions for him.


	5. Hunting a Shark, Hunted by a Flower

Hello everyone! I'm sorry to say this story is not getting the views I would hope so production may slow in favor of another project. I'd like to apologize if you like this story more than my main one, but it's how it works. Don't fret, as it will be updated as long as anyone enjoys it. But enough of that, we have a fishman to take care of. EDIT2: Hey Everyone, if you read this chapter already don't worry. This is just to correct some spelling and grammar errors I noticed after re-reading.

* * *

Luffy sat on the figurehead of the Going Merry as Nami filled in the rest of the crew. Luffy had known all about Arlong, and didn't need to be informed of any past history or plan of action. He'd let them fight his subordinates like last time. A burning anger filled him as he thought of everything Arlong had done to Nami. Arlong would learn his place on the food-chain.

"Okay, we're almost there, Cocoyasi village...Thank you everyone." Nami said, covering her face with Luffy's Straw Hat. He had given it to her as a symbol that he would come back safely. That he trusted her with his most prized possession. That Arlong would be stopped for the very sake of friendship.

"Johnny. Yosaku. Go with Nami, protect her with your lives. We're going to Arlong Park. Gather everyone you can and bring them to watch. It'll be worth remembering." Luffy said in a surprisingly commanding tone. He was the captain, and had given orders, but now he truly sounded the part. They escorted Big Sis Nami to her Big Sis Nojiko, and rounded up the village. Explicitly telling them to not bring any weapons.

Usopp complained much like his first time. They were charging Arlong Park head on with hardly a thought to make a plan. Luffy assured them they wouldn't need one. Luffy thought of what would go differently from the first time. He knew who his friends would fight. He knew Arlong's tricks. He knew that Arlong Park was going to be a pile of rubble.

* * *

"Okay. We're here. Planning time." Luffy said, precious feet from the gate. Usopp facepalmed while the other two nodded in agreement.

"Usopp! There's a guy with funny lips in there! Fishmen don't like fire!"

"Zoro! The octopus guy is a swordsman. You are a swordsman." Luffy didn't feel the need to elaborate.

"Sanji! Elbows guy! Don't let him get in the water." Luffy waited for the small crowd to arrive. 'Huh, weird cat guy probably won't show up. Nami will get to keep her money.' He said, causing him to smile wide as they got close.

The weird pin-wheel guy, Genzo, stomped in front of the crowd. "What the hell do you all thi-" He was cut off by a smirking Luffy who kicked the gate off of its hinges and soaring against the far wall. Taking a few fishmen with it.

"Arlong!" Luffy yelled in rage as he let his instincts consume him. He walked straight towards the sashark-man with a determined look.

"Yes, that is me. What do you want, human?" He asked apathetically as he looked over. He could be enraged after he took whatever money the boy had to offer.

Luffy could hardly see straight. Eyes burning with anger. His rage had been peeked for the first time in his new life. Arlong had caused nothing but harm to Nami. He wouldn't let Arlong hurt her anymore. He cocked his hand back for a normal punch, which launched the fishman through the stone wall. "I WANT TO RIP YOU APART FOR HURTING NAMI!"

* * *

Sanji, Usopp, and Zoro found their targets in a heartbeat. They stood out well in the odd area, and Luffy's entrance had taken out everyone else. It astounded them that he could do that with a kick and a door, but being shocked by Luffy's strength would have to wait.

Arlong slowly climbed up and through the hole. Panting as he straightened his nose. That kid could pack a hell of a right hook. "You think you can, human?! We are at the top of the food-chain! We are the apex predators! We are the greatest race!"

Luffy could only roll his eyes. "Sure you are. Because blah blah strength blah blah. I'm going to tear you, and this stupid park, to shreds." Luffy said, standing still and clearing his mind. He wanted to try and practice more with his Six Powers, less they become useless. Geppo, Soru, and Tekkai were all fine, but they weren't offensive.

"Chew! Hatchan! Kuroobi! Take care of his pathetic friends!" Arlong yelled in anger as he charged at the boy. "Shark On Darts!" He yelled as jumped at the boy with lighting speed. Luffy hopped to one side and let Arlong impale himself in the pillar.

"Shigan!" Luffy yelled, plunging a finger into the fisman's back like he fired an extremely powerful bullet. It wouldn't kill, especially Arlong, but he had barely missed his spine. He didn't want Arlong holding back, that way he didn't have to either.

Usopp had led Chew away from Arlong Park, not for the safety of his friends or anyone else, but because Chew was terrifying! He kept launching Lead Stars back at him, but they had little effect. He'd need to do something quick before he reached the water. Luckily, he had the sake Luffy gave him outside the park. He threw it back at the fishman, who caught it.

"What the hell...Are you trying to bribe me?!" Chew yelled in anger before a lead star busted the bottle and coated him in sake. "Okay. Now I'm pissed off!"

" _Flame Star!_ " Usopp yelled as he fired a shot at the fisman, causing him to freeze before yelling in pain. His body was engulfed with fire and he hadn't made it to the water up ahead yet. His was stuck, burning alive. This insect was going to kill him!

Sanji was able to shrug off most of Kuroobi's attacks. They weren't nearly as tough as the kicks from Zeff. "Are you even trying to kill me?! You uncooked dinner special!" He yelled as he ran, kicking Kuroobi into the ground. Without having been wailed on by that Pearl guy, and with the added boost from Nami begging for help, he was determined to take these sushi bastards down.

"You're no match for me, Roronoa Zoro! For I, Hatchi, are master of the Six Sword Style!" Hatchi boasted as he drew his swords. "I am twice as powerful as your three! And with my fishman body, I'm twice as powerful as that!"

Zoro sighed as he put Wado in his mouth. Johnny and Yosaku had lent him their swords for the fight, knowing their Big Bro was best with three. "You can do it Big Bro! Kick his ass Big Bro!" they yelled from just outside. Zoro smiled as he teeth clenched. "Six Swords are nothing if you do not have the skill to use them." He said through clenched teeth as he readied himself. The wound from Mihawk burned, but it only drove him further. He had fought the greatest swordsman and came out with a scar.

"Let's see how skilled you are." Zoro said before charging the octopus full force. He felt so alive. He would fight through the pain and become stronger. For his captain. For himself. For her.

* * *

Luffy was laughing hard at the sight, they were doing so much better. Usopp undoubtedly got that funny lips guy in the distance, as it looked like a flare. Sanji was fighting with less injury and greater determination. Zoro hadn't dealt with any interruptions to his healing and was able to rest on the way here. It was all in their favor!

"You insects! You think you're better than us?!" Arlong roared as he started ripping out teeth. "Our bodies are the pinnacle of evolution! You can not compare yourself to us!" He finally settled with a pair in each hand.

"Tooth Gum!" He yelled as he charged. Clasping the teeth shut threateningly as he ran.

"Rankyaku!" Luffy roared back, launching a green slash of air at the charging sawshark-man.

Arlong's eyes widened as he felt his chest cut open by the air itself. He stumbled and fell, unprepared for such an odd and powerful attack.

"You have interesting tricks, human. But you will not win. Nami will be mine forev-"

"Shigan Gatling!" Luffy screamed as he unleashed an impossibly quick barrage of finger pistols into Arlong's body. Each dug down to the knuckle before being pulled out and slammed through into another part of his torso. The barrage left him gasping for air as two pierced his sternum, threatening to collapse the lungs he needed to stay on land.

"You...pest." Arlong said weakly as he started walking towards the entrance to the sea. He couldn't last much longer on land, and the boy couldn't fight at all underwater.

* * *

Hatchi was on the ground, waiting for death before seeing the swordsman sheathe his best blade. "Good. Fight." He said, collapsing next to the octopus. "Nami. Told us. You weren't. All that bad." Zoro said as he lied motionless next to his fallen opponent. Trusting the code to keep him safe.

"Weak fucking fish. Not even worth cooking." Sanji panted as he walked towards the gate. "Nami-swan! Luffy's! Gonna do it!" He yelled before collapsing face first on the ground, head turned to watch the finale.

* * *

Luffy grabbed the fishman and hoisted him the air. Staring into his eyes. Arlong reared back his head and bit down on the boy's arm. "I'm not going down that easily!" He said through his clenched teeth.

Luffy drew back and punched him repeatedly, causing him to let pull off and stumble back.

"I'm going to _kill every last human_ on this island! Money be damned!" Arlong yelled as he backed up. " _Shark on Tooth_!"

Luffy took a deep breath and widened his stance. This would be his first attempt of this attack on a live target. He had to time it just right, or this would really really hurt.

He put his arms forward, readied his breathing, and drew his fists barely back. " _Six Powers Supreme_ …."

Arlong was so close he could taste the human's flesh. He'd tear everyone apart. Everyone but Nami. She was never getting away. He'd use her until she charted the entire world.

" _Six King Pistol!_ " Everything was in slow motion for Luffy. His fists moved just as Arlong came to his arms. Arlong had aimed for Luffy's midsection, so he was able to catch him right in the face. The massive blast launched through his entire body, from head to feet. He was stopped mid air from the concussive force, nose an inch from the boy's stomach. Teeth shattered from the intense vibration that coursed through his body. However, he felt none of it. The head on blast to his skull all but liquified his brain. His body fell, limp and lifeless, onto the ground.

* * *

Luffy smiled at his handiwork. Arlong deserved far worse than what he was just given, but it couldn't be considered mercy. Arlong was just so weak, Luffy wanted to practice on him. If anyone were privy to that piece of information, they were deathly still. Luffy picked the fishman up and smiled. He may not have made him suffer, but he could desecrate his corpse. He grabbed the fishman's ankles and started using him as a large hammer, destroying Arlong Park piece by piece with his body. His nose really was strong, as it was the only distinguishable feature after Luffy brought down the tall building. Pulverizing the stone itself into dust.

Luffy walked away from the pile and towards the crowd. They had watched the admittedly terrifying spectacle of Luffy using a dead body to destroy the premises. But after all they had seen, it was a relief. They cheered for the boy, who brushed them off in favor of celebrating the feats of his friends. He walked to Nami with a smile on his face. "Told you I'd-" Luffy was caught off guard by her actions.

* * *

Nami had snatched up the boys dumb rubber head and kissed him deeply. Letting all the emotions she had held back flow. He defeated Buggy and saved her. He had saved her time and time again. Now he took out het greastest fear. He was selfless and optimistic. He would fight any threat with absolute certainty. He was the purest form of love she knew. He didn't ask for anything in return from her. It made her heart pound as he...pushed her off of him?

"L-luffy. W-what's wrong?" Nami asked as she stepped back, staring at the boy who was having a sort of breakdown.

" _No no no! No!_ " He started pacing around in circles as he wiped his lips. Trying to rid himself from the stain of adultery, at least in his eyes. "You can't do that Nami! I can't do that! I." Luffy felt his heart sink as he saw an eye on the wall, watching him. He couldn't breathe. It was human. It had grown out of the wall. How long was it there? Had it seen everything? Where was she? Where was …

" _Robin!_ I'm sorry!" Luffy cried as he started punching the ground, eyes transforming into an abyssal black. Each blow tore at the ground, shattering the layer of concrete on top of it effortlessly. "Forgive me! I didn't want to cheat! Please!" He had lost his mind to grief. He was about to lose her before every even getting her back! The tears began to turn the same shadeless black, as if sucking the light and life around them, it scared everyone that wasn't a Straw Hat away. He had just defeated Arlong without a scratch and had gone _insane_!

"Luffy stop! I'm sorry! I just wanted to show my thanks!" Nami yelled in horror as she backed away. Starting to cry as she thought she had made a horrible mistake. "Please! I take it back!" It didn't stop him. The ground was cracking from his grief-filled blows.

" _Robin!_ " Luffy started to Geppo in the air and search around. She had to be close. She had to be in order to bloom. He finally spotted the giant turtle and dropped over the wall. Tears in his eyes he used Soru to get to her.

* * *

Robin had watched the entire ordeal with great interest. They took care of the Arlong Pirates with enough ease to be considered the strongest in this sea, Luffy far beyond any other member. He had nearly stopped Arlong with the initial punch, used the ability of CP9 just to scare him, then Rokuogan to finish the job. But it was the aftermath that shocked her most.

"Fufufu. A cute couple indeed. Would make for a lovely story." She mused to herself as she saw the navigator kiss the captain. He found the man interesting and was glad he… What? Why was he pulling away? She was a beautiful young woman by all means. Was it because of their friendship? Some chivalry on acts of love proclaimed during extreme emotional unrest? Was he not attracted to women? Those thoughts tore away as she heard her name shouted.

"Me? Why is he apologizing to me?" She asked herself, and Banchi to a lesser degree. "Cheat… How could he cheat on me? I've met the boy once and certainly didn't..." She stopped talking to herself as she saw his reactions grow stronger. He beat at the ground like a wild animal. As if there was something underground he wanted to beat. But his eyes. They were devoid of life. She had her something of the sorts. Eyes becoming conduits for the feelings within a powerful devil fruit user. Black was the worst for the person who bore it. It was despair, depression, it was the worst feelings one could have. She didn't know if hers turned black at Ohara, but that didn't matter. He was trying to find her now.

"Banchi. We need to leave. Now." She said, causing the giant turtle to start swimming. As she turned back she saw a flash. Turning back in front of her, she saw the lanky boy kneel down to her. Hugging her legs and sobbing.

"I'm sorry Robin! I didn't kiss her I promise. She kissed me. Please don't leave me." Luffy cried, the reality that he was no longer with his Robin nowhere near his current thoughts.

"W-what are you talking about?" She asked, typical calm demeanor destroyed by the boy's sudden outburst.

"I took those vows seriously! I take marriage seriously! I promise! Please forgive me." He cried as he held her leg tighter. "I don't want to lose you again."

Robin was scared. Either the boy had lost his mind or...that was the only thought she had. She rested her hands on him and petted slowly. "It's okay..." She didn't know what to do. She had never been in this position. No one had gotten close enough to cry to her. To cry about her.

Luffy wiped his eyes and looked up at Robin. She felt relieved as they shifted back to his normal charcoal color. Luffy however was filled with fear. He wasn't back with his friends. They weren't meeting back up at Sabaody Archipelago. He had just defeated Arlong. Robin wasn't his wife. But he still cheated. He married Robin. Robin was alive. He pulled back and breathed heavily. He couldn't escape this. What he just did would rip his friends apart without justification. Robin herself would never give him the time of day if he left it like this.

"Nico Robin… that was your name before." Luffy said as he stared back at the island. Robin shifted uncomfortably as she looked at the boy. She'd need to listen to this for anything to make sense.

"Monkey Robin...Haha. We really didn't think about that..." Luffy said with a smile, mind taken away from the awkward place he was in.

"What do you mean, Monkey Robin?" She asked, starting to piece it together. Monkey D. Luffy...was he implying they were married? "What do you mean by before, Luffy?"

"I was told to only share this with people I trust with my life..." Luffy stated first, giving off the heavy weight this revelation would have. "I'm...from the future."

Robin was on the verge of snapping him in half when she heard it. But two things stopped her. He couldn't have his bones broken, and he was dead serious.

"I...I stretched, or rather contacted, my time and this one. After you and my brother were killed by Akainu.." It took all of Luffy's will to not yell out his name in anger and disgust.

"Why would my death sadden you? Since you refused my proposal," She noted the cringe into himself he did at her mention of that word "we are enemies." She said, making sure to state it as a current event.

"We're married in my time." Luffy responded plainly. He didn't want to say were. Robin never left. He jumped back to her.

"W-why would I marry you?" She asked, barring the question she wanted to ask. 'Why would anyone marry me?'

"You love me. We got married in Water 7, after I defeated CP9 and destroyed Enies Lobby for you." Any shred of doubt within her was obliterated. CP9 was a secret organization and she knew he was no member. No one outside of it knew her affiliation. With every scrap of information she knew he was no member. He had time traveled to save her.

"You took on the World Government for me?" She asked, weakly. She didn't doubt the story, but the facts were still shocking.

"Yeah..." He said weakly, knowing he didn't win.

"Thank you.." She responded with equal strength. Sapped from the overwhelming news.

"Would you...would you please stay with me? I've waited ten years to see you." He said, tears falling down his eyes.

"Luffy...I work for a dangerous...I work for Crocodile Luffy. He'll expect me back, and if I don't return, he'll send the numbered agents to find me. I don't want to endanger your friends."

"We beat them once! That was without your help too!" He yelled, growing more confident he could win her over.

"So, we were enemies then too? How did we even come to be friends?"

"I saved your life after Crocodile tried to kill you."

She paused at the proud declaration. He had obviously defeated Crocodile if he was able to save her. "I believe I will join you, Luffy. But no consummation" She said with a slight giggle as she leaned on his shoulder.

"We never got to do that actually..." Luffy interjected, making her freeze.

'Really? Not once? Which one of us was insane?'

"Maybe we can fix that this time around. Fufufu." She buried her head in the crevice of his shoulder and neck. She couldn't believe herself for that joke. But why couldn't she tease her husband? That was a weird thought to have...She'd need to build up more than just this warmth for him before that. Though everything he said sure did have an-

With a blink of an eye he snatched her up and used Soru to return to his crew, all consoling their crying navigator.

"Hey guys, sorry, I had to go get someone." Luffy said before gently setting Robin down.

"Who's this?" Usopp and Zoro asked, thankful Sanji was consoling Nami and not paying attention to their captain.

"This...Well she's..."

Robin smiled at Luffy's attempt to introduce her. It would take a lot of explaining to determine what she really was to this crew, but until then, she could have fun.

"Nico Robin, I'm his wife."


	6. Luffy's Joy and Nami's Pain

Hello everyone! I'm sorry to have doubted the overwhelming support from you guys. Over 2,000 views! While this story is still lacking compared to my other one (less than half Deep Love), it is on the favorite list of more people. That is a major step for this story. A big thank you to 22 for helping me improve my work. Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece.

* * *

Luffy's friends were in shock at the news. This rubber idiot had a wife? Usopp had made it back just in time to hear the shocking declaration. Sanji was distracted by the crying Nami and missed it all, leaving the other two to process it. "What do you mean wife?!" They yelled in anger at the woman, before backing up at the sight of an angry Luffy.

"Don't yell at her! Robin, please don't joke with them like that." Luffy said as he looking into her eyes, pleading for her to make it seem like a joke. She quickly realized why, he hadn't told them about that yet.

"Fufufu. Sorry everyone. Captain-san seems to want to take things slowly." She said, winking to Luffy before turning back to them. "I'm what you could call...his girlfriend." She said with a smile, deciding that would be a good first step to learning her quite literal future husband.

"That's so cruel." Luffy said as he started to breathe once more. His heart felt like it stopped when she said that so bluntly. But at least now he-

"You bastard! Kissing Nami-swan while dating such a beautiful woman!" Sanji yelled in anger as he kicked Luffy through the wall of the park. Sanji stopped and bowed to the woman. "Sorry for his rudeness, miss. He's not too bright. I however am like a burning star shining down on your-" Sanji was cut off from a charging Luffy.

"Stop kicking me! I didn't even do anything!" He yelled as he hit Sanji back through the park towards Nami, who ignored the injured man's cries to be 'Healed by her Love'

"You had a girlfriend, and didn't think it worth mentioning?!" She yelled in anger as she walked towards the frightened Luffy.

"I-I didn't think you'd kiss me! I thought it would just… come up." He said as he jumped back, gulping down as Nami walked right up to Robin, who did not falter.

"And you! Where have you been? Why would Luffy not have an adventure with his girlfriend?" She asked, desperately trying to pick apart their connection.

"I had some business to take care of first. We agreed to meet up… Where did we say we'd meet up Luffy?" Robin asked with a smile, getting Luffy to answer an important question for her. 'Where would I have first talked to this boy if not for this outburst?'

"Oh...I think that would be the first place on the Grand Line… Whiskey Peak!" He yelled triumphantly. It had been ages since he had been there, but it was where he first met her. "But I don't think we were to really get together till Alabasta kingdom." He said, scratching his head.

"Oh that's right. Thank you, honey." She said as she turned back to the angry red head in front of her. She had to fight the giggle that was building up. It would be fun to play with his crew while she stuck around. Teasing Crocodile could get her killed, so this would be a refreshing change.

Nami stared angrily at the woman. She had stolen her chance at keeping Luffy for herself. Maybe there was still hope. She seemed to be a bit older than Luffy, most people would call that a deal breaker. "Well that seems odd, waiting so long to see each other…"

"We knew the time apart wouldn't stop our feelings for one another." The words hurt to say. Toying with this Nami girl was fun, she responded to most everything with anger, but she could feel Luffy become exuberant over that statement. It wasn't fun to toy with someone who seemed to care so deeply about her.

"That's right!" He yelled as he jumped down from the wall and hugged her tight. He buried his face in her shoulder to hide the short sobs. "But I'm glad it was sooner… I missed you so much." He said as he wiped the tears from his face. Hoping no one else had seen. Though Usopp and Zoro carried an angry and injured Sanji out towards the village.

"I…" It cut at her chest to say what came next. She didn't want to lie to the boy, but it had to be done. "I missed you too, Luffy." She said with a weak smile before he started pulling her away by the hand.

"Come on! The village is throwing a part and I have so much to tell you!" He yelled as he started to run with her into the distance, leaving Nami alone in the remnants of the park.

* * *

Tears filled her eyes as she walked over to Arlong's corpse. She started violently kicking it as tears began to fall. "Dammit! It's not fair!" She yelled to herself as she kicked what at some point may have been Arlong. Luffy's assault on his body after death made him a disfigured corpse with a pointy nose. "He killed you just because you hurt me! He loves me! Why! Won't! He! Say it..." She kicked with each word before falling back in the rubble and crying into her arms. "He loves me..."

* * *

The village was already rowdy with party goers. "Everyone! Another round to our hero!" Some yelled as Zoro pounded back shots of various liquor. They had hid and saved some of the best booze in the world for this day, and he got to partake of every bottle. "Keep 'em coming! We're going to drink this island dry tonight!" He called out, earning a cheer from everyone there as they all got more shots. "To Zoro!"

Usopp was in his element. The young kids and their parents were gathered around to listen to one of the Heroes of the Village regale them with the tale of his fight. The drinking and 'dancing' for the other two wasn't quite the right environment for their young ones. "There I was, surrounded by fishmen, when I thought to myself. 'What do fishmen hate most' When it hit me… Fire!" Sanji threw some sake into the air before shooting it with a Flame Star. He watched the dazzled face of the kids, then the angry faces of their parents. "And uh… That's why you shouldn't drink! Save it for fighting fishmen instead!" He said, earning applause from the crowd. 'Okay good, no angry mobs.'

"I'm in heaven…" Sanji said as he wiped his nose. All the single ladies (and a few of the married ones, but they wouldn't tell), were giving him a very rewarding show. "You're all so beautiful…" He said as he reached to grope, getting his hands smacked away. "Oh come on.. Ladies? Please? For your hero?" He asked as a couple grabbed his hands and led him towards a private building. "I may have died in that fight because this has got to be heaven!"

* * *

Luffy had dragged Robin to the only place that could be considered a restaurant on the island. Businesses still had to run under Arlong, or people couldn't pay him money. Every chef of high quality accompanied them to do the cooking. Luffy looked at the menu a bit shakily. Makino had taught him to read this time, but it was still so difficult to not just ask for meat. "I uh…" He struggled to read the print. It had all sorts of squiggly lines and things Makino didn't teach him about. "Just uh… get me the steak. Ra- Medium Rare, and a water." He said, not wanting to act uncivilized on his first date. "She'll have a roast beef sandwich, coffee, and a slice of lemon cake. Not too sweet, right Robin?" Luffy asked with a questioning smile. He hoped he could order right for her.

She smiled back at the boy. He had ordered quite well if he never knew her before. She liked sandwiches, coffee, and cakes. While not exactly something major, it wasn't something everyone would know about a person. "That sounds fantastic, thank you." She said as she handed the waiter her menu. "So...Luffy. Would you mind answering a few questions of mine?" She asked as she cocked her head, holding her face in her hand. "After all, we barely… I barely know you." She said, frowning a bit. The statement had made Luffy frown and look at the table. "But I would like to." It worked well to bring him back to normal.

"Of course, Robin! Ask away." He said, waiting for any questions he could answer. It would be a start to building their old life.

"Thank you. First, tell me about the beginning. You hinted that we first met at Whiskey Peak, correct?" She started to think about why she would be at Whiskey Peak. The first thought that came to her mind was Princess Vivi. She was going to swing by and see if she had been captured by Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine.

"Yeah. We had just beaten up bomb guy, heavy girl, and that entire town when Igaram was leaving, dressed as Vivi. You blew up the ship he was on and came over to tell us about it." Luffy said with a smile, slightly unnerving Robin.

"Oh really? Than why are you smiling?" She asked as she tapped the table with her fingers.

"You were a good girl then, too. You spared that guy by not putting a lot of explosives." He said with a smile.

"Umm… Good girl?" She asked, trying to avoid the serious issue. He knew she had no intention of killing that Igaram man. The waiter had brought over their drinks just as she finished asking the questions. "Why thank you." She said as she sipped the coffee and awaited her answer.

"Hmm? What? You seemed like a Bad Girl to everyone else. I knew you were a Good Girl deep down." He said, unaware of how it sounded to her.

"Umm… Yes… Anyway, what about when you got to Alabasta Kingdom? Surely I was working with Crocodile and unable to show such mercy."

"Actually, you saved my life when he threw me in some quicksand he made. It only affirmed that you were a-"

"Luffy, do you realize what you're saying?" She asked as she backed into the dark. The innocent terminology was getting to her.

"I was saying how you saved my life…" Luffy said, looking at her with confusion. He knew a lot more in this life, but not why she was getting upset.

"Yes.. Yes you were… I saved your life, hmm? I wonder what I saw in you…"

"I don't know either… You were kinda fuzzy on the details. Something about my D."

Robin nearly performed a theatrical spit take when she heard him say that, but instead swallowed her coffee in a large, almost painful gulp. "W-what do you mean? I saved you because of your D?" She asked, wiping a nervous sweat from her brow. What kind of perverted acts did she get in with this boy between then and now to save his life over it? Sure he was rubber which meant it could…

"Yeah. I don't know what the D. in my name stands for though… You were just as confused apparently." He said before looking out to the waiters. "Our food's coming." He said calmly, hiding his enthusiasm for the meat.

Robin could feel her heart pounding away at her chest as he cleared up that confusion. Of course, the D. in his name. Not his… She needed to stop that train of thought. 'That's enough questioning for tonight…' she thought as a plate was set down in front of her. She thanked the waiter before looking at Luffy. She had watched him eat at the Baratie. With a crowd of people around he didn't act this civilized. He was actually cutting it into bites rather than gnawing at the entire steak. "Do you always change around me?" She finally asked after a few bites.

"Wha?" He swallowed the mouthful. "What do you mean?" He asked, setting down the utensils.

"I may not know you like I used to… But I know something I had in common with myself. I like you for you, Luffy. Don't try and act civilized because I'm around." She smiled softly at the fact. She really did enjoy his wild nature. He didn't seem to care what others thought of him, except for her. If he wasn't from the future and was just trying to get at her, it worked well. He would walk a little taller. Keep his back straighter. This, acting civilized, wasn't who she had observed.

"Sorry Robin… You're just so mature and civil I just…" He was stopped as a hand sprouted from the table and cupped his face.

"Shh… You're just you. I like that, Luffy." She said before letting it turn to flower petals and sipping her coffee.

"Of course… Thanks Robin." He said with a smile as he began to eat like he normally did, shocking the crew and earning a warm giggle from his date.

'He's so cute. I hope I was happy before.' A thought crept into her head as she watched him eat. 'I hope I can be happy now.'

* * *

"Nojiko stop… I'm not a baby." Nami said as her sister petted her head.

"Than stop acting like one. You're crying like a baby who had her candy taken away."

"She didn't take my candy Nojiko! She took the man I love!" Nami spat back viciously before buring her head in the pillow of her bed.

"Love? That's a mighty big word to be throwing around… How long have you known him?" She asked, still petting despite her hostile nature.

"That doesn't matter! You saw what he's done for me in such a short period of time! Arlong has been a constant torturer for ten years. I meet Luffy for less than a month and he shows up like a knight in shining armor and slays him…"

"Nami, that doesn't mean love. I saw the Abernathy sisters take the blonde one away to thank him for saving us, just like you want to for Luffy."

Nami stopped sobbing as she turned her head. "But Mr. and Mrs. Abernathy didn't have two daughters…" Her eyes widened before she started to laugh lightly. "Well, that should be fun… But I do love him, Nojiko. It feels like the world put us together over and over, but now it's torn apart… All over that woman…"

"Nami stop! You're not mad at that woman. She hasn't done anything to you. You're mad that he found someone else first. Now, you can either brood over this and hope he dumps her, or-"

"That sounds like what I'd do."

"Nami, shut up. Or, you can move on. The blonde haired cook of yours"

"Is probably more disease infested than a mosquito." Nami retorted.

"Long nose?"

"Childish as a seven year old."

"But isn't Luffy?"

"He gets extremely serious…" She defended, to Nojiko's dismay.

"The swordsman?"

"He's mean, stupid, and selfish."

"Match made in heaven!" She said jokingly.

"Don't you see what I mean? Luffy's..."

"Luffy's not yours Nami. The sooner you get that, the better." Nojiko said as she stood from the bed. "Come on, let's go celebrate, Cocoyashi is free!"

* * *

"Oh god… my head." Zoro groaned as he slowly climbed off the ground and bended over the table. "I don't think I've ever been hungover before..." He groaned as he slung empty glasses over and lied down on the table. "How much did I drink?" He asked no one in particular. Everyone around him was passed out from all the drinking. "Lightweights, at least I woke up first…"

"Mmm… Good morning ladies." Sanji said as he stretched his arms out to wrap up the two blondes. "Did you enjoy your night with a hero?" He asked, trying to remember if he did.

"We sure did. Glad to know you'll swing the bat both ways, tiger." The one on his left said.

"Haha. What do… you… mean…" He asked before sitting up. "NAMI! HELP!" He yelled as he charged from the room, covering himself with the sheet as he ran for the sight of a real woman.

"Man, I'm glad I don't drink." Usopp said as he watched a hungover Zoro and a regret filled Sanji awake from a night fueled by booze. "As much as those two…" He added with a soft laugh.

* * *

Luffy was up at the crack of dawn aboard the Going Merry. He had carried Robin there after dinner to show her the room. He wished he could join her again, he hated sleeping alone. He had been doing it for ten years. But he could wait until this Robin knew him again. She was worth it. When he heard the door open he sprang towards her like a dog that had been left alone all day.

"Luffy? Do you ever sleep?" She asked as she embraced his hug. It felt so nice to be greeted of a morning with a wide smile and a warm embrace.

"Yeah, but it's harder without you." He said as he hugged tighter. "I'm glad you're back though!" He said, twirling her around by her hips. "You're really back!"

She wordlessly smiled at the boy. He was too happy for words to express over seeing her. No one in her entire life was this happy to see her. It wasn't unrequited. The boy was infectious with his charisma. He had a way of adjusting everyone's mood to his own. It wasn't working the same way with this, but being loved for something more than skill or beauty was working wonders at leaving her breathless. "Luffy, I never left. You came to me, remember?" She asked with a smile as the boy began to ponder.

"Oh yeah… Than we're back!" He cheered before kissing her cheek. He set her down and ran towards the railing. "I'm going to get everyone so we can go! See you real soon, Robin!" He yelled as he jumped down, eager to go continue his adventure with Robin joining them.

"We're back…" She said to herself with a smile. "Maybe soon… But not quite yet."


	7. Leaving Cocoyashi, Logue Town Ahead

Hello everyone! I can't believe it's gotten so popular. It's also on the favorite list of more than 60, and alert of more than 80. I only hope it grows even more. Thank you all for your support so far, and I hope it continues. I've found this to be extremely rewarding to write and hope you all enjoy this next chapter. Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece. EDIT: Over 4,000 views! Thank you all for your support. I'm sorry to the four new people who have replied thus far. I am aware of the reviews but am not able to view or respond to them due to what I assume is a server error. As soon as they become available I plan on giving you feedback.

* * *

Luffy had left Robin alone on the ship while he went to fetch everyone. It was a nice moment of peace after watching his brutal fight and rampage over the kiss. She felt her heart pump slightly faster at the thought of the kiss. Was she really jealous? Impossible, she couldn't be. She wandered into the girl's quarters and sat on the bed. Two beds, each large enough to fit two people if they were close together. She felt the urge to rummage around. She was clearly invited, so this would be her room. She had no clothes to change into, and her current attire of a purple cowgirl suit would not work well everywhere she went. She opened the dresser and found a lovely black outfit, almost like it was for her. 'Did he really know I'd join him? It fits me perfectly.' She thought after changing into it. It was even monogrammed to M.R. She chuckled as she thought on it. 'Monkey Robin… He actually planned ahead.' Robin smiled at the care he had put into it. He knew she'd come to him from the beginning…

"Zoro! Come on! We gotta go!" Luffy yelled at a groaning Zoro. He hadn't really seen Zoro hungover before, he could always brush off most all drinks. But this had been a hell of a rager, and he was experiencing a new and shitty feeling.

"Dammit Luffy. I don't have the energy for this. Just. Just go, I'll be there soon." He said as he covered his eyes with his arm. The light on his eyelids hurt like staring at Sanji for too long.

"You couldn't make it to the ship if you tri-"

"North North East. That way." He said, pointing. The pain he was experiencing apparently had trumped whatever part of him lost direction. "Now go away, please." He begged as he rolled over. Trying to tune out his own heartbeat.

* * *

"Sanji! Sanji!" Luffy yelled out as he walked the streets. He remembered Sanji was somewhere nearby. "Where are you… Nami and Robin need breakfast!" The plan worked perfectly. Sanji ran out from an alley, wrapped in a sheet.

"Nami-swan! Robin-ch" Sanji stopped as he reached Luffy. His stare made him slow to a walk with his head down. "Nami-swan! Robin! I'll save you from your hunger!" He yelled again as he charged towards Merry. Luffy didn't feel the need to tell him to get dressed. Hot oil splatter would teach him that lesson if he tried.

* * *

"Yo! Usopp! Where are you?!" He yelled as he jumped up on a building. Usopp was on a balcony or something last night telling stories to people. Luffy overheard the middle of one as he by with Robin. Fifty fishmen versus Usopp. He had knack for exaggeration.

"Luffy! I'm over hear!" Usopp yelled back from the roof of another building. Luffy ran and launched over to him, landing hard and embedding lightly in the roof. "Jeez Luffy, people still live here you know?!"

"Bah, like this is anything bad!" He responded as he climbed out of the gaping hole. "Besides, you think they'll get mad at US?" He said, smiling wide at the thought of how hard they celebrated. Their was no innate fear of pirates this time. He wanted to yell it out to everyone, but he had seen what happened when he did. Withholding that info would keep them safe.

"Good point… But what are the marines going to do when they find out you killed Arlong?" Usopp asked, the dam containing his fear cracking.

"Oh yeah… Probably reward us! Remember, we're just Concerned Citizens! Shishishi!" Luffy laughed as he laid back against the roof and look at the sky.

"Yeah but, we know we're pirates. You want the One Piece more than anyone, don't you think people will find that out?"

"Yupp. But don't worry. We won't be going around stealing from people or anything. I mean, have we done anything bad so far?" He asked with a laugh, making Usopp think.

"Well… Nothing Pirate like. Except fight other pirates."

"Well my grandpa sees it as training. So that's what it is to them."

"You don't plan on that, do you? Being a marine and all." Usopp asked, watching Luffy stare off towards the Going Merry with great intent. He was about to drop the topic entirely, but he could feel Luffy's discomfort. "Luffy? You okay?"

"I uh. I need to find Nami. I'll be back soon." He said, walking to the edge and looking down. "See you at the ship Usopp." Luffy said before hopping down. Leaving the sniper with more questions

* * *

"Hey! Straw Hat!" Nezumi, or weird cat guy as Luffy saw him, yelled at the wandering captain. "I heard you took out the fishman Arlong… You are under arrest by order of the World Government!" He yelled in anger as the marines started marching towards Luffy. This boy had cut into his operations and cost him a lot of money!

"Huh? Why?!" Luffy yelled back. He had no fear of being arrested by these goons. They were too weak, had no sea prism stone, and he had family in high places.

"What do you mean why?! You're a pirate!" He yelled back, outraged by the boy's ignorance. "You took down a Pirate. You did not claim the bounty, and you are not a marine. That makes you a pirate!"

"Oh. Sounds like Pirates are a good thing than." Luffy said as he started walking away from the line of men.

"Such arrogance! Men, arrest this man and his crew!" Nezumi yelled as he eyed the destroyed Arlong Park. He had made so much money off of that arrangement.

Luffy reached back and grabbed the man by his weird mustache and dragging him to his feet. "You just threatened my friends. Arlong did that, once." Luffy said, punctuating the 'once.' He had too many bad memories swelling up in his head. Marines like this made him sick. He drew back his fist as he stared into the man's fearful eyes. He could wipe him off the map right now. But he'd need to kill all of the marines, and they might not deserve it. Luffy opted for a scare tactic, punching a crater near the man's face. He let go of his whiskers and started walking away, the rifles on him never slowing his pace. "Report me as a Pirate, and I report your bribes from Arlong." He said as he walked on down the road, leaving him cursing 'Damn Mugiwara'

* * *

"Yo! Nami! Where are you?!" Luffy called as he reached her house. He had to wake and question a few people to find out where that was. "Nami! You there?!" He yelled as he walked in. "Oh, Nojiko. Where's Nami?" Luffy asked innocently as he sat across from her at the table.

"She went to Bell-mere's grave to say goodbye." Nojiko said as she examined the pirate. There was a long pause as Luffy awkwardly waited for her to say something. "Why the hell were you rampaging so hard after a kiss? I'm sure your girlfriend would have been angrier at Nami than you." She said, cutting the silence in the room.

"Because she kissed me. I have a wi… I have a girlfriend, so I was scared she'd think I was cheating on her."

Nojko sighed at his answer. It wasn't wrong, and it certainly spoke to his character. He didn't even do anything wrong and he blamed himself. Nami certainly wasn't getting Luffy easily. "Well, I'm glad you feel so strongly for who you date. But, you hurt Nami."

"I did? I didn't mean to! Did some ground hit her or anything? She didn't seem hurt… Has she seen a doctor?" He asked, fear in his eyes that he caused some bodily harm.

Nojiko sighed once more. The kid was as dense at a rock, but his heart was in the right place. "Emotionally. You hurt her feelings by freaking out so much. Why hadn't you told anyone about her?"

"I didn't think I'd see her for a while… Certainly not outside the Grand Line." Luffy said as if it were nothing, but the statement shook Nojiko. "I'll tell her I'm sorry as soon as I see her. Anyone kissing me would have made me freak out."

"That's not the point! Guh!" She stood and walked over to him, grabbing him by the collar. "You dense idiot! Nami-"

"Nami what?" A voice asked from the doorway, freezing Nojiko mid sentence. "No no, say it. What do I do?" Nami asked as she walked towards them, keeping a calm face to hold back the flood of emotions.

"Nothing… We dug your saving's up for you Nami. Almost a hundred million beri." Nojiko said, smiling at her calm sister. She could tell Nami wanted to ring her neck for almost blurting that out.

Nami looked them over silently. "Keep it. I'm sure Luffy can earn us more money, right captain?"

"Shishishi! Of course, but let's keep some for supplies at the next island." He responded happily. He wasn't typically greedy, but having some now could help in the future.

"Of course captain. Five or Ten Million?" She asked as if it were pocket money.

"Only five! They still need a lot of it." He responded, getting up and walking over to Nami. "It's really nice of you to give up your savings's like that…" He said, looking down at her feet before swallowing hard. "Nami, I'm sorry about back at the park place."

"Sorry? For what? You killed Arlong for me. Thanks… Luffy." She said with a weak smile before he hugged her.

"Thanks for not beating me to death." He said with a slight chuckle before walking out the door. "We'll be at the ship. See ya soon!" He yelled back as he ran. Leaving the landmine and her blue haired sister alone.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking?! You nearly spilled my secret!"

"It's no secret! You're like a lovesick puppy around him!"

"Well he doesn't know so it's a secret!"

"No! It's a threat!" Nojiko responded angrily, making Nami cease her yelling. "You can't just hate that woman for loving Luffy. So either tell him or get over this crush!"

"It's not a-"

"Nami! You love him but you're not in love!" Nojiko yelled before calming down, collecting her thoughts. "Luffy has done a lot for you. He swooped in and took out Arlong like the garbage he was. But every woman on this island is feeling the same for it. They want to rush into his arms and have them protect them forever."

"They… I…" Nami stared at her sister, who walked to her.

"But that's not love. You want to protect him, and him to protect you. But that's not being in love. That's just love." She said, putting her hand on Nami's shoulder. "He's your overprotective brother, not your lover."

Nami was hit by a greater force than the Six King Pistol. Sister Zoned. "I… I'll think on it… Thanks." Nami said before Nojiko hit her shoulder.

"I'm your Big Sister, I keep you from doing stupid things." She said with a smile before covering her mouth. Her laugh escaped her. 'Luffy is quite a stupid thing to do'

"You're so lame." Nami said with a smile as she followed her sister out of the house. 'Even if you're wrong'

* * *

"Goodbye everyone! Thanks for the party!" The crew yelled as they waved goodbye to the people of Cocoyashi village. The Going Merry just start to leave when Nami ran through the crowd. She snatched up their wallets with lightning speed and dumped them all on the deck. It made them all yell with anger and sadness, they were all losing a beloved family member to a life of pirating. "You better comeback and see us Nami!"

"Don't worry about that! I'll see you all again someday!" She yelled back, waving. She didn't do traditional goodbyes, but his was a promise she would keep.

Luffy smiled from the figurehead of the Going Merry. It was nice to see everyone so happy. Even Robin smiled and waved at the cooks that had served them dinner. They weren't as good as Sanji, but they were definitely skilled.

"Okay guys, listen up!" Luffy yelled as he hopped from his spot. "Next stop, Logue Town. The place where the Pirate King was born and Killed! The Beginning and The End!"

Robin watched quietly from her chair. She could hear him from the other end of the ship if she wanted, but what she wanted was to keep him in her sights. She could see past the excitement in his voice. It was a terrible skill she had developed. The first part, The Beginning, brought him joy. Talking about The End did not. She sighed and glanced back at her paper. "Oh my, Luffy. You're in the paper." Robin said loudly but politely, gathering the crew around her.

"Huh? Why?" Luffy asked as he bounced over. He didn't want a Bounty of any sort for as long as possible. The less of a threat he was perceived as, the better for when he started changing things.

"How can you be that dumb?!" The crew yelled in unison, save Robin.

"You did take out the biggest Pirates in this sea, Luffy." Robin said with a smile as she pointed to the article.

"Today we would like to recognize a real Hero in East Blue. Only known as 'Straw Hat' Luffy, has taken out a Corrupt Marine Captain Morgan, the pirates Buggy the Clown, Kuro of 100 Plans, Don Krieg, and Arlong in a shockingly short amount of time. His reason for doing so is unknown, but he is being dubbed 'Hero of East Blue' for cleaning the sea of such threats. While not allying with the World Government, 'Straw Hat' Luffy has also made no claims of being a bounty hunter or pirate. Reports say he is a 'Concerned Citizen.' In the eyes of this paper, we need more citizens like Luffy."

"Shishishi! That's so cool! They think I'm a hero!" Luffy laughed, gripping his sides.

"Why is that funny? You are kind of a hero…" Usopp interjected hesitantly. Bothered by his laughter at the concept.

"I'm no Hero. Say you have some meat. A Hero will share the meat. I want all the meat for myself!"

"But, you've shared meat, money, hope."

"Not my point! That's cause it was the right thing to do!"

"Which makes you a hero…"

"What I'm saying is, I want meat!"

Sanji sighed at hearing that and headed in. "We're almost out of food, captain. I don't know how fismen taste, but it'd be better than an empty stomach."

"Eh, let's just get some fish at Logue Town." Luffy said, laying on the deck. It would be quite a while, but he could wait. It would be interesting to see Smokey while not being a Pirate.

* * *

After some sailing, the Going Merry docked at Logue Town. To everyone's surprise, a Company of marines awaited them at the docks. Luffy, despite protests, jumped down to greet them.

"Shishishi! You guys are so funny. Come on, stop saluting!" He yelled, messing with some of the saluting marines.

"Straw Hat Luffy." A white haired man with two cigars in his mouth said as he walked towards the boy. The boy merely smiled and started to laugh.

"Shishishi! Heya Smokey!" He yelled out as he waved, causing the man's eye to twitch.

"It's Captain Smoker. Not 'Smokey' Mugiwara." The man said, eye twitching as he looked at the boy. He didn't have a good reason, but he didn't like the look of him.

"Nah, I like Smokey more. So, what's with all the marines?" Luffy asked as he looked them all over. A hundred or so men all standing orderly around. He didn't like the look of it, but it was kinda funny.

"Dammit it's not Smokey! I am Captain Smoker!" He yelled out, scaring his men as he bit into his cigars. He calmed down and remembered he wasn't dealing with pirates. "As a reward for your good deeds, The World Government would like to offer you a passage into the Grand Line. We can load up your ship and-"

"Nah. That's not fun!" Luffy responded, shocking the marines around him. "I mean, sailing up a mountain? Come on! That's so cool!" Luffy said with an excited smile. He turned around and started poking a saluting marine. "Shishishi. So funny." He laughed before walking back to his ship. "Hey guys! It's cool! They just wanted to offer me something!"

"You can't just walk away like that Mugiwara! The World Government doesn't go around offering this to people!" Smoker yelled angrily before running to the boy. "To turn this down is a slap in the face to their generosity! What possible reason could you have to turn it down?!"

"I don't want to just sail in. That's boring. Can I call it an I.O.U?" Luffy asked, cocking his head as the man reached him.

"That's not how we operate. You do not get to call in a favor because you don't like-"

"But I don't want a stupid escort! Can I get a battleship or something? It would be so cool to-"

"Stop cutting me off! If you wish to throw away this offer, we have no obligation to help you at another point in time." Smoker said through red eyes. What civilian would ever turn down such an opportunity?!

"What if I do some more good stuff on the Grand Line?" Luffy asked, sitting in the middle of the dock they were on.

"You've taken out the major threats to this sea. Doing something on the Grand Line is a lot more difficult." Smoker said coldly, staring daggers at the boy. This was pirate talk, taking people out for rewards. What did he have on his ship that could make him turn this down?

"Shishishi. See ya than Smokey!" Luffy yelled before jumping back up to the ship to inform the crew. They wouldn't be too happy about it, but he wanted to see Laboon again, plus meet Vivi.

"Damn Mugiwara... Tashigi! Keep an eye on that boy." He ordered to his subordinate, who nodded and pushed up her glasses.

"What do you mean you turned them down?!" Nami and Usopp yelled in unison at their idiot captain. "They just offered to keep us from going up a mountain!"

"But what if there's something cool up the mountain!" He yelled in response with a big smirk. He'd get to see Laboon again, and hopefully avoid actually running into him. "Besides, getting an escort when one of us has a bounty would be dumb."

"Who has a bounty?!" They yelled back before stopping. They turned to Robin, who was reading calmly on her chair. "Why do you have a bounty?! How high is her bounty?!" They yelled, looking to anyone for answers, finally resting their eyes on Luffy.

"Oh, that. I think she destroyed a bunch of Navy Battleships when she was little. What is it, eighty million?" Luffy asked as he walked to her, a big smile on his face.

Robin smiled back. If this boy wasn't a time traveler, he could invade her mind. "I believe so, yes." She replied calmly, not looking from her book as she answered.

"You sure know how to pick them, Luffy." Zoro said with a smirk as he began to walk towards the railing. "Well, I take it you two are going to stay on the ship while we go shopping for supplies?" He asked as he turned to the couple. Luffy was laying on the ground by Robin, looking at the book she was reading and at her. He was exuding energy that needed to be released. A very bad thought entered his mind so he cleared it. "Okay, I need new swords. I'm going to get going."

"Something seems wrong with Swordsman-san. Fufufu." Robin laughed at the sight of his face turning red. She could read people like her book, and he had a dirty thought. "Luffy, would you like to go into town too?" Robin asked with a smile, closing her book to look at him.

"Shishishi! I'd love to go see the execution platform!" He yelled out, remembering the last time and hoping he got lucky again. Or maybe he should just avoid that this time? Not a chance.

"That sounds wonderful. I wonder how many people were executed there..." She said as she climbed from her chair and took his hand. Everyone sweat-dropped as they left. 'How can they be interested in the same thing?!'


	8. Buggy's Back! Whoops he's gone

Hello everyone! This really took off! 6,000 views! Incredible! Thank you all so much! Feel free to review, even if they won't show up at the moment, as I will make sure read them through the alerts and respond to most all of them. Thanks to Eiichiro Oda for owning One Piece. EDIT: Hurray! Reviews are fixed! I can respond to everyone easily now. Also, forgot to add line breaks. Whoops. Fixed in this though.

* * *

"Huh… So Luffy plans on making a name for himself… As a civilian?" Shanks asked Mihawk after sheathing his sword. He wouldn't say a word about the message until after the fight, which left them both pretty drained.

"Yes, he also plans on taking out a Schichibukai." Mihawk said plainly as he sheathed Yoru. Shanks smiled widely at the mention.

"He scared you, didn't he?" Shanks said before laughing loudly. Mihawk shot him a glare, but Shanks didn't fear his Hawk Eyes.

"The boy is quite scary, I'll give him that. That boy is swelling with power. Did you train him?"

"Pff. If I did he may actually know how to sword fight. No, he did that all on his own. Told me he was training to take on the world."

"Yes, I could tell." Mihawk said, looking out towards the sea. "Do you ever get the feeling that one day, the world will simply end?"

"I try not to worry about stuff like that, but yeah. Why?" Shanks asked, glancing to see if there was something specific Mihawk was looking at that sparked this sudden philosophy.

"Many men have the power to change the world. Many try. Few men have the power to destroy the world. None do. Why do you think this is?"

"The people who want to destroy the world never have the ability to. Now, mind telling me why I'm being lectured?" Shanks asked as he walked to Mihawk's side. He hated when he got like this. Couldn't they drink after a fight like normal people?

"What would a man destroy the world over?" Mihawk stopped staring at the water and turned to Shanks.

"Insanity. Grief. God Complex." Shanks said, counting on his finger like a child. It was just to annoy the Hawk Eyed swordsman, but he barely noticed.

"That boy didn't seem to have a complex…" Shanks finally caught on.

"Luffy wouldn't destroy the world!" Shanks yelled angrily. He didn't like where Mihawk was going. If he thought Luffy was a real threat, he'd take him out.

"He seemed wild, but I wouldn't say Insane..." Mihawk said out loud, walking towards his Coffin Ship.

"Stop talking like he's going to destroy the world!" Shanks yelled again.

"Grief…" Mihawk said as he boarded his ship.

"Ugh… Fine. See ya, Chicken Eyes." Shanks said with a big smile. Luffy really scared him if he had him talking to himself.

* * *

"Fufufu. Quite the rush Luffy. It'll still be there if we take our time." Robin said as her overactive boyfriend tried rush through the crowd. Luckily he held her hand so she wouldn't lose him in the crowd, but he was still ahead of her with his stretched arm.

"Shishishi. You never know." He loudly back to her, making her smile at his cryptic response. Unexpected from such a straightforward young man, but maybe it would be interesting to see.

"Of course. God may smite the tower. Fufufu." She laughed, though the sentence made Luffy stop.

"Eh, I don't think so. He's a dick." Luffy said plainly, remembering weird earlobe god guy.

"Well that is one way to see it…" Robin responded as Luffy sat down in middle of the viewing area before the stand. "I'm surprised with you Luffy. I'd think you'd want to climb up." Robin said as she sat by his side. That certainly wouldn't be smart, but would definitely be what he'd do.

"Eh, I've seen the view from up there once. It was nice, but I have a feeling I don't want to go up for seconds." Luffy said with a small smile as he leaned on her shoulder. Robin could easily take out most of the Alvida and Buggy's Pirates, but Alvida herself couldn't be grabbed.

* * *

"I can't believe that idiot forgot to collect Arlong's bounty..." Zoro mumbled as he searched through the low quality swords. He of course didn't think about it either, but it was his captain's fault. "Eh, this one looks alright." He said as he pulled one up out of the barrel. He stared at it with a smile. "Unruly blade..." He muttered as he drew from its scabbard. Before he could get a better look, Tashigi snatched it from him and started to fangirl.

"Could this be..." She frantically flipped through her book as she examined the sword. Finally she stopped and pointed at the blade. "That's it! Sandai Kitetsu!" She squealed before Zoro took it back, much to the shopkeepers dismay.

"You can't buy that sword! No one can! That sword is cursed!" He yelled out as Zoro held out the blade.

'Don't be scared of curses Zoro, you're too lucky' Luffy had said to him when he left to fetch new swords. This was a sign. "Well we'll see who wins. Its curse or my luck." Zoro threw the sword into the air and stuck out his arm, staring at Tashigi and the shopkeeper who looked on in horror.

"Don't! Your arm will be cut clean off!" They yelled in unison, knowing the power of the blade. They were greeted with a smirk from the green haired man.

"Than I guess I lose my arm..." He said as the swords flipped back and stuck in the ground. The bloodthirsty blade ignored his arm for the chance of drawing blood of the unworthy. "Heh, looks like I win." Zoro said as he drew the blade from the floor and put it back in the scabbard. "I'll take it."

The shopkeeper couldn't believe his eyes. That sword should have cut clean through his arm. It was too ruthless to be owned. He walked over and grabbed Yubashiri. It was the greatest sword he had, but it was useless to him. He never planned to sell it, and it would likely sit there until he passed otherwise. He owed more to these swords. "This sword has been in my family for years, though I can't say we've been using it. Here." He presented Yubashiri to the young man with a faint smile. "Take good care of it."

* * *

"Well well well, look at you." A woman said as she slipped past the crowd and to the boy. Clouds gathered overheard and rumbled deeply. A storm was building overhead and this was the best moment to strike. "Remember me, Luffy?" The woman asked, prompting the couple to turn around.

"Oh, hey Alvida! Been a while. New mace?" Luffy said before turning back to the stand. It would be cool seeing it destroyed from this angle. There was nothing he could to stop it, but maybe that was for the best.

"It sure has. Why yes it is, since my last one broke when I hit you with it. Who's this woman?" Alvida asked, swinging the Steel Mace around idly as she stared at the woman.

"That's Robin, my girlfriend." Luffy said with a big smile before standing up and blocking the distance between them.

"Oh my. Seems I was too late." She said almost cheerfully, though she swung the mace a little faster to emit her anger. "To think I wanted to make you my man. Ever since you hit me and launched me into the sea, I haven't stopped thinking about you." She said, stepping towards him. She was within arms reach when some sprouted from his chest and pushed her back.

"Yes, you are too late. I'm all he can think about now." Robin said as she wrapped her arm around Luffy. She could see he was defending her, but she believed it unnecessary.

"So what if I take you off his mind?" Alvida asked as she stepped forward, ready to obliterate the woman.

"Robin you should-" Luffy tried to say before Robin interrupted.

"I can handle myself Luffy. Dos Fleur!" Robin crossed her arms and tried to grab Alvida's legs, but they slipped right off. Robin's eyes widened as the woman drew back her mace.

"That won't work you bitch!" Alvida yelled, ready to swing the mace down on her head.

Luffy stuck out his arm, eyes turning as black as his arm. "YOU WON'T HURT HER!" He yelled, freezing everyone but Alvida, who lost a second mace to the boy's ability. She recoiled from the vibrations sent back through her mace. Her hands were on fire with pain. At that moment, the heavens themselves cried out in rage and struck the execution platform. Destroying it and sending it to the ground in flames.

"Attack that damn Straw Hat!" Another familiar voice ordered, prompting Cabaji to attack. Robin stared in horror as the sword pierced his back and came out the front. Blood coated the blade and dripped slowly from the tip, making the unicyclist smile widely.

The sword however did not stop Luffy. He reeled his arm in and hit the unicyclist square in the face, sending him flying back to a building. He pulled it out of his back and stared at the blood pooling, then at Robin. She needed to be defended.

Buggy was left in shock. Straw Hat was powerful, but that sword went right through him! Why wasn't he dead?! "Everyone! Attack!" He yelled, sending his newly acquired underlings to attack the boy. Their mistake was attacking the woman on the ground first. He unleashed a storm of fists on those who came near.

Luffy's eyes had not turned normal. He rushed to Robin, who was still in shock over his wound. He however was not fazed. Attacking everyone who dared get near. "I'll tear you all apart!" He yelled as he rushed towards the attacking pirates. He was true to his words. Each punch bore into the men that attacked. His leg broke spines of every pirate caught in his whip. Buggy and Alvida were left staring in horror as he defeated the combined forces of both of their crews.

Smoker frowned as he watched the kid work. He made it impossible to send his men it, he was attacking too wildly. That whip of his was a street sweeper, and that gatling would be terrifying to a Non-Logia. All that over that woman. Who was she? She looked familiar.

"This is all your fault! You damn bitch!" Alvida yelled as she kicked the woman. Hitting someone with her new body was a pain to pull off, but she could do it if she used her foot. It landed on the woman's shoulder and sent her to the ground. She couldn't manage to dodge with all her focus on Luffy.

Luffy stopped his assault and went back on the defensive. Rushing back to the woman with a black fist drawn. "Robin!" He yelled as he saw her fall to the ground, freshly kicked from the strong woman.

Alvida smirked as he charged. A punch may have made her fall for him, but he couldn't land another one. "Aww, did I hurt your poor-"

"How dare you hurt her?!" The fist connected with her perfectly. The punch hit her straight in the gut and sent her flying. The punch rocked her insides like a grenade inside her guts, but thankfully she was tougher than all of her crew. She was sent back and collided with a wall, in which she imbedded. It was a miracle that didn't kill her.

It didn't take a genius to know that they needed to run. The surviving members fled from the scene of the failed assault, desperately trying to escape the monster that took out Steel Mace Alvida. Luffy stood defensively beside Robin, fists clenched in case anyone tried to do another sneak attack. He panted heavily as his eyes turned back to normal. When he sensed all the danger was gone, he fell back on the ground. "This. Didn't happen. The first time." Luffy said with a small smile as he stared at the wound.

* * *

Robin crawled over and looked at him. Her eyes locked to his and tried to find relief. He didn't show any fear, and tried to calm herself, but it was difficult. He said he hadn't faced this before. He could die from the unknown. He had fought so hard to-

"Hey! Bring me meat!" Luffy yelled to the marines rushing in. He didn't need much to get over it. Some bandages, some meat, some sleep. Luffy Medicine 101. He slowly sat up with a hand on his wound. "You want any Robin?" He asked cheerfully. She didn't need to worry. There wasn't a chance he'd let this stop him.

Robin was frozen from the shock, Luffy seemed okay. Definitely not his normal self, but also not like someone who was just stabbed. The first thing she could do was hug him, ignoring the blood that got on her clothes.

Luffy hugged her back weakly. If hugged tight he'd ruin her outfit. The marines got close so he slowly stood, keeping Robin close so they wouldn't see her face. Two marines had med-kits, one had a big plate of meat. Luffy ignored the two medics and walked to his new favorite marine, eating the big slab of meat in one comically large bite.

"That isn't medicine!" The two yelled in unison at the boy and smirking marine. It was ridiculous to believe this would help. "Please, let us close that wound." One asked as he approached, shooed away by a stretched hand.

He rubbed his stomach and smiled, walking from the marines with his arm wrapped around Robin. "Think Sanji got that fish yet? I'm still hungry."

"Straw Hat!" Smoker yelled as he walked towards the boy. This was ridiculous. That boy just dropped out of nowhere, took out the East Blue pirates, beat two crews at once single handed, ate to get better. What was this kid?! "You have some questions to answer!"

"Like what Smokey?" Luffy asked in the most cheerful tone he could. He didn't like being around higher up marines with Robin, they may recognize her.

"What the hell was that?!" He yelled his question as he put a hand on his Jitte. This boy was too volatile to just trust as a good samaritan.

"A fight, do you not do a lot of those anymore?" Luffy responded with a smirk and a cock of the head. He knew it would anger Smoker, but it was too funny to pass up.

"That wasn't a fight, that was a slaughter." He said plainly as he pointed back. The only one to survive a punch was Alvida, which was surprising considering the massive amount force put behind it. The woman was quite sturdy if anything.

"Sorry I didn't leave those pirates alive, they didn't really give me a reason to." Luffy responded, scratching his head. He didn't expect they would all die, but he couldn't feel guilt for defending her.

"How the hell did you get so strong?!" He yelled once more, biting down on his cigars.

"Stop yelling, I'm like, five feet away." Luffy said, rubbing his ears. "My grandpa trained me to be a marine, but he's letting me train on pirates first."

"Don't you lie to me!" He yelled once more, causing Luffy to cover his ears.

"I'm not lying! Garp trained me for years!" He yelled back, fire with fire and smoke with smoke.

"Garp… The Garp?!" Smoker took a step back at the name. Everyone knew of Garp the Fist. If that was this boy's Grandfather, he misjudged him.

"Yes! Ugh, I hate calling Gramps that." Luffy said like an angry child. Gramps was just Gramps, stating his name felt like using his status, which he would do every now and again, but still.

Smoker gritted his teeth, grinding in the cigars. It would explain a lot of this boys power. Plus, Garp was known to be very unconventional in the way he acted. He looked at them both and finally asked. "What is your full name?"

"Monkey D. Luffy." He responded happily, it felt good to proudly claim that again, but his stomach quickly sank.

"What about you?" Smoker asked his female companion. She was too quiet through all of this to be some no one he picked up.

"Robin." Luffy answered for her, keeping her from having to muster a response.

"Full name." Smoker repeated. Something had to be wrong with her. Who was she?

"Monkey Robin." She responded from behind Luffy. It was the first thing she had managed to say since the ambush. The hole in Luffy's stomach stopped bleeding shortly after the meal. He stood a straight, walked normally. He was all but healed already. She had already claimed to be his wife, though recanted it as a joke. This was different. He loved her too much to be anyone but her husband. She loved him too much to not be his wife.

"You two are married?" Smoker asked skeptically. The woman didn't look too much younger than himself, but he was easily twice the age of that boy.

Luffy furrowed his brow and gritted his teeth. He didn't like that question. "Why so surprised?"

"Aren't you a little too young for her?" Smoker asked as he looked the two over. They seemed to be opposites. That woman had said two words since they met, while Luffy could hardly shut up.

"Why would that bother me?" He cocked his head, making everyone sweatdrop. Five minutes after meeting the boy they knew he didn't care about normal things. Hell, meat was medicine to him.

"Well…" Smoker started before biting his tongue. Their was nothing explicitly wrong with an age gap, but it seemed odd.

'Huh, I think Hancock was older actually.' Luffy thought before turning back to Robin. He smiled and started walking away with her, holding her hand tightly. "Shishishi. Enough questions Smokey. I need some meat. But I'd like my reward for those guys."

Smoker sighed and rubbed his forehead. He had nothing to hold the boy on, even if he gave him a bad feeling. Besides, he had lots of blood to order his men to clean up. The pirates… 'stopped' by the boy weren't big fish, but he was able to stop Alvida, her crew, and Buggy. Though Smoker got Buggy himself before going to question

* * *

Straw Hat, he would still receive an award.

"Luffy… Are you okay?" Robin finally asked as they neared Merry.

"Shishishi. You said we were married." Luffy said, poking her on the nose. He was overjoyed that she announced it to them. Telling his crew he was married was difficult, but he would shout it at the world proudly.

"I suppose I did." She said with a soft smile before he snatched her into his arms and leaped onto Merry. "A heads up would be nice…" She teased before realizing Luffy hadn't let her down yet.

"Aww, but that's no fun." Luffy whined as he walked her into the shared room. He had eaten, now he was going to sleep with her.

"Luffy… What are you doing?" Robin asked from the bed as he set her down. He walked over and pulled off his vest before grabbing the small med-kit kept in the room and pulling out the gauze. He had learned the very basics of medical care, and knew he didn't want to get blood on the bed.

"Huh? Oh, just wrapping up." He said as he tied it off. Walking over to her with a big smile. "Now we can sleep together." Luffy said, once again shocking the woman as he climbed in bed with her.

Robin's mind failed to see the innocence once again. Her mind immediately wondered to the more perverse areas of her conscious. "How can you even think about that right-"

Luffy crawled into bed beside her and quickly fell asleep, snoring loudly with one arm wrapped around her waist, puling her close to him.

She sighed and smiled lightly as he snuggled against her. How could she be so perverse? The boy was injured and exhausted. At least he could get some well deserved rest. She in turn would get some needed affection. He looked happier than ever wrapped up against her. "Goodnight, Luffy." She said, petting his hair and closing her eyes. She'd need to change into something more suited for sleep soon, but right now he needed to rest. They still had to leave Lougetown… tomorrow.


	9. Entering the Grand Line, and a Whale

Hello everyone! I lost all of this chapter to some shitty computing errors, so I had to rewrite it. I decided to go a different route this time, so you all get to wonder what could have been. Robin is a bit OOC so there's that warning. But enough of that, wow! 8,000 views! You are all so amazing, thank you. Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece, but I have nice socks, so who's the real winner? EDIT: Okay, I'm terrible. This is just some terrible self promotion for the story I just posted. Should I post this on chapter one? Probably. But people who read the first chapter and went on probably won't like my style. If you'd give it a look, I'd appreciate it. FFTF is still the main project at the moment and will stay that way so no fear. The other story is to help broaden my skills and experiment with a Different Devil Fruit Luffy story.

* * *

"Luffy…" Robin muttered as she pressed against her new fiancee. Such a jump from boyfriend, but she didn't regret it. He took a sword to the gut and still fought everyone he saw for her. That coupled with the whole, he stretched the fabric of time to save her thing did an amazing job to make her crazy over him. She slowly awoke to his smile and warm eyes. She wasn't sure how long he had been up, but it didn't take long to set her cheeks a crimson red. "Umm… Good morning Luffy." She said as she blushed like a schoolgirl. 'Was I muttering his name all night?'

"Shishishi. Good morning Robin. Though I thought you woke up an hour ago, seeing as you said my name." Luffy said with a big smile. He had a lesson in patience when Robin first muttered his name an hour or so ago. She had been doing it every few minutes since and it made Luffy happy every time. A corner of his Sanji brain kicked in each time and left him gawking at her. Having the rubber brain of a seventeen year old rather than a seven year old created some rather awkward moments, but that was a small price to pay.

Robin buried her face in his chest and smiled. She didn't know why she felt better having made a fool of herself, maybe it was because Luffy liked it. "Do we have to get up?" Robin asked as she rolled over, bringing Luffy with her.

"I think so… The kitchen isn't in here, and I think Sanji would get upset if we asked for breakfast in bed." Luffy said as he slowly got up. Hunger was one of the only things that could get him up from bed. The other was that he needed to get a move on, he was already a day behind. That would be made up for with not needing to fight Vivi, maybe, and quickly skating past most of the issues they would face early on.

Robin sighed and climbed out from the cover. She was a bit mopey over the fact she couldn't lie there with him forever. Sure it was a selfish thought, but she earned a little selfishness. Before she could change Luffy swooped her up and started walking. "Where do you think you're going, mister?" Robin asked cutely as he left the room with her.

"Shishishi. We're going to get breakfast." He said confidently, to her surprise. Luffy saw it as a good opportunity to save some time. She didn't fully agree.

Robin squirmed lightly as she was brought in the kitchen. She didn't want the crew to see her so informally. Her hair was messy from sleeping on Luffy's chest, her attire was sleep oriented. A nightie and a robe that barely encompassed her hips. She was in no way presentable to the crew, at least by her standards. However Luffy wouldn't budge on the issue. He saw it as cute how she blushed over looking like a normal person would of a morning.

* * *

"Sanji! Food food food!" Luffy yelled to the erocook as he slumped in.

Sanji groaned at the captain before biting his lip at the sight. Robin in a silk nightie! His eyes quickly turned into hearts and his nose bled as he twirled his way to the true kitchen portion and started to cook, powered with the enthusiasm of a hundred perverts. Needless to say, there food was done before anyone else even made it to breakfast.

Nami's food was waiting for her when she walked in. Sanji had made special care no to ignore her needs just because Robin was more enticing at the moment. The other two would just have to wait for the next batch.

As expected Robin did get a few looks and comments from those not perverted at heart about her 'interesting' attire. Luffy laughed every time it was brought up, examining the small blush she couldn't hide. "I think she looks nice." He commented amidst questions of why she chose such a casual outfit this time. Everyone joined in with an "Ahh" and left it at that, which made him laugh even more.

"Everyone full?" Luffy asked the room, who responded with groans and nods. "Good. We have a mountain to sail up!" Luffy said, getting up to put his foot on the table triumphantly. Everyone looked at one another then to him.

"Why are you doing that?" Usopp asked as he held his plate, hoping Luffy wouldn't step on it.

"Oh, well you know, it's what a captain does."

"What captain slams his foot down on stuff like that?" Zoro asked as he looked at Luffy, who scratched his head.

"Huh… Never thought about it… To Reverse Mountain!" He said, making everyone leave the room.

* * *

It wasn't long until they started their journey towards the mountain. Nami was still complaining about sailing up a mountain rather than taking the convoy like they offered, but her captain wouldn't take the easy way out. Though he did say something about it being easier than he thought it would be. "There it is, Reverse Mountain." Nami called out and pointed to the mountain. She then felt ridiculous about pointing out a giant mountain that the sea sent water up.

"Okay guys! Gather around!" Luffy yelled as he stood by a barrel. The crew gathered around to see what their captain was up to. "We have a tradition to follow!" He yelled to them as they encircled the barrel. "We're going to break open this barrel after saying what our dreams are, that way they're sure to come true."

"I believe I've heard of this." Robin said with a smile as she examined her friends. "Can't say I've ever done it before however." She added when their eyes fell upon her.

"Great! I get to be your first!" Luffy cheered, making all of them stare at the two with wide eyes. Before they could comment, Luffy placed his foot up on the barrel. "I'm going to become King of the Pirates!" He said with a big smile. That was still his goal, after he saved Ace and Robin, and it sounded a lot better to say to his friends.

Robin smiled and followed his lead. She lifted her leg and placed her foot on the barrel. "I'm going to find the Rio Poneglyph, and become Queen of the Pirates." She said with a smile at Luffy, who returned it ten fold. It sure was easy to smile when your face would stretch so far.

"I'm going to become the world's greatest swordsman!" Zoro said as he slammed his foot down on top of the barrel, scar burning with intensity at the thought of surpassing Mihawk.

"I'm going to find the All Blue!" Sanji said as he slammed his foot down, competing with Zoro in an unspoken challenge of who could hit the barrel harder.

"I'm going to chart the whole world!" Nami said as she threw her leg up and down on the barrel, trying to get over Robin's comment.  
"I… I'm going to become a Brave Warrior of the Sea." Usopp said before squeezing his foot in. There was hardly any room left for him, but that didn't matter. They were about to destroy the barrel anyway.

Luffy raised his leg and waited for them all to join him. He then slammed his foot in unison with theirs on the top of the barrel, crushing it open in an explosion of water and wood shards. Luffy laughed as he pulled his soaked leg away. "To the Grand Line!"

* * *

"Luffy! You idiot!" Nami yelled as the wind whipped past her. They were heading up a mountain in a ship instead of sailing across the ocean. It was ridiculous.

"We're going to be fine!" Luffy yelled back as he climbed his way up to the front. He knew Laboon would be waiting for him at the bottom, and he wouldn't let him hurt Merry again, if it wasn't really his fault. He did his best to keep them from crashing into the sides once more. He had the strength to move the ship himself, which meant easier conditions in the narrow path.

"We're getting close to the top! Get ready!" She yelled out as the reached the precipice. The sight was a showstopper for the moment it lasted. They could see on for a great many mile, though Luffy was looking down towards the large island whale waiting for them that no one else could see. "We're going down!"

As fast as they were going up the mountain, the speed going down was even greater. Everyone stared in shock at the large black mass at the bottom of the mountain, waiting to act as a barrier between them and their dreams. "We can't steer away! Reduce speed!" Nami ordered to everyone, who quickly did everything in their power to slow down the speeding ship, except for Luffy.

Luffy stood on Merry's figurehead, staring down at the whale with a smile and a determine look. "I've gotten a bit strong since last time." He said to himself as he stretched out his arm. He may be able to take on an admiral, but Laboon was still a giant whale few things could hurt from the outside. "Gum Gum Bazooka!" He yelled as he launched his arms towards the whale, connecting with his broad body and forcing him away from opening. Everyone was shocked as Luffy forced the giant creature out of the way with raw strength alone. He only smiled as the soared past him. "Turn around! I wanna check out that whale!" Luffy yelled as he ran towards it, using Soru to launch himself on top of the whale.

"Are you crazy! That thing will eat you alive!" Usopp yelled as he gripped his chest. That was easily the scariest thing he had seen yet. They almost collided with a giant whale going insanely fast, then his captain pushed it out of the way!

"Nah, there's a hatch up here!" Luffy yelled before finding it and jumping in, leaving his crew to sweatdrop. He dropped down and looked around. He knew he was already a day late, but he had to hope they would be somewhere. He ran through the halls inside Laboon frantically, searching for any sign of Vivi or that weird crown guy.

* * *

"I can't believe he could do that…" Zoro said as he looked at the stunned whale. He had no doubts about his captain's strength, not since they first met. But that thing had eyes bigger than the ship and he pushed it out of the way. Maybe he should ask him to help with training.

"Vivi! Old guy! Crown head!" Luffy yelled, listening to the echoes he made inside the whale. Last time they were wondering around these hallways. Then it hit him, maybe Old Guy finally caught them! He rushed around the routes inside the whale at breakneck speeds, until he finally reached a large room that seemed to be the outside. He saw the tiny little island and Soru'd to it, panting lightly from how much running you can do inside an Island Whale.

"Are you with them?" Crocus asked as he read his paper, not bothering to point at the tied up captives who were struggling against one of the trees. "I warn you, I'm not letting you hurt Laboon." He said as he turned the page and waited to grab a harpoon.

"With them? Not really… I'd like to help them out though. How about a trade?" Luffy asked before sitting down. If there was one thing he remembered about this particular old guy, it was that he took forever to answer questions.

Sure enough a good two minutes passed before he finally spoke. "What do you want to trade for them? And better off, why?"

"Well I think I can cheer Laboon up. He seems sad." Luffy said as he walked over to the two captives. "As for them, I don't think they deserve to swim in acid for trying to get some food."

Another long pause filled the air before Crocus spoke up. "How do you plan to cheer him up?" He asked, closing his paper and finally standing. This strange boy caught his attention.

"Well, I know Brook misses him." Luffy said absently, hoisting the two captives up despite their protests. Crocus looked at him with great interest before he leaped up. "Meet me outside old flower guy!" Luffy yelled as he launched up towards the path he had taken to get in.

'Brook… How does that boy know Brook?' Crocus thought to himself before preparing to head out. He definitely needed to know more about this boy.

Luffy launched out of the latch on Laboon's head and soared towards his ship. Mr.9 and "Miss Wednesday" cried at the intense speed and unsafe heights. It was a worse experience than being beaten by a crazy seventy year old who lived in a whale. Shortly after landing, after fighting the urge to vomit, they looked to yell at their new abductor. They were greeted with a new and frightening sight, their captain fighting the whale they had so much trouble trying to kill.

"Come on! Are you even trying?!" Luffy yelled as he punched at Laboon's head. The massive whale roared back at him as best he could, thrashing his head at the boy who dared to pick a fight with him.

Everyone was left speechless by the sight, including the crazy Old Flower Guy who was on the ship with them. Though after Luffy brought crown guy and peacock girl, who Robin recognized on the spot, they weren't too shocked by the new guest. What they were shocked by was the rather weighted fight between a monster and a whale. Luffy was able to maneuver through the air with relative ease, seemingly jumping in it. He kept the whale distracted long enough to launch a Gum Gum Battleaxe into his forward, making the beast cry out in pain before Luffy landed softly. "Hey! Don't cry!" Luffy ordered, calming the beast down. "How would your friends feel to see you like this?" He asked as he ran his hands along the deep gashes in his head. Luffy bit his lip at the though of how long Laboon had been waiting. "The Rumbar Pirates are not cowards!" He roared out to the world, confusing most of the people around. Laboon was now much calmer and swam over to the ship after the boy who had leaped over.

Before any of his crew could ask questions, Crocus stepped out in front with his own. "Boy, how do you know about the Rumbar Pirates? They're before your time." Crocus said, making the others cock their heads in confusion.

Luffy scratched his head and his mind raced, at least as fast as a rubber brain would let it. "Well, I know someone in the crew." Luffy said. The answer was truth at the time, since he hadn't recruited him yet.

"Who could you possibly know?" Crocus asked. He was surprisingly quick with these questions.

"Brook, the musician!" Luffy declared proudly. Zoro sighed at the mention of a musician. It's all Luffy could talk about when he first recruited him.

"What do you mean he misses him? He abandoned poor Laboon!" Crocus barked at the boy, but only angered him.

"Brook didn't abandon anyone! His crew died. But he's still there, watching over them and hoping for a way out." Luffy said, hoping he didn't have to explain too much on that.

Crocus luckily took it at face value. He had seen too many strange things to question the boy. He had no reason to lie, and knew too much to be making it up. "Well that doesn't help Laboon. He's going to fight even harder now." Crocus said somberly as he looked over at the whale.

"Not a chance! I'm going to come back and fight him again after I become King of the Pirates!" Luffy yelled before charging off to grab some paint. Before anyone could actually question what the hell he was up to, he leaped over to the whale and started painting. Ten extra years to practice and he painted with the grace of a two year old who got into the finger paint. "There! That right there is a promise of a rematch! No more ramming your head into the mountain, or you'll mess it up. Alright?" Laboon let out wail and nodded his behemoth head. Luffy smiled and jumped back to his ship. "There! That should stop him."

"Hah, you really are a strange boy." Crocus said with a smile. 'Reminds me of Roger, though maybe a bit more insane.' "If you see Brook, tell him I'm sorry for doubting him." Crocus said before walking to the railing and jumping down into his tiny dingy. He rowed to the lighthouse and left the strangers to their own devices.

"Who the hell are you people?!" The two captives yelled in fear at the crew. Whoever they were, they were terrifying. Fist fighting a whale and trading for hostages like whale meat?!

Luffy finally calmed down refocused on the two. It was nice to see Vivi again, but that didn't mean he wouldn't take an opportunity to scare them. He motioned for Robin to come over, which quickly froze both of them. Vivi in particular looked terrified. "Which one should we keep, Miss All Sunday?" Luffy asked with a hardy laugh.

Robin knew right away what he was doing. Luckily he made his knowledge of her position in Baroque Works apparent on their first meeting. She knew Miss Wednesday was really Princess Vivi of Alabasta. Robin had let Vivi trail her in the past. But this could be even more fun. "Well Mr.0, I like the girl." Robin said as she put a hand to his chest and looked at the two.

Mr.9 was thoroughly terrified at the idea of meeting his bosses, and not being the one 'kept' presumably alive. Vivi was in a new state of confusion. Crocodile was the one Nico Robin always reported to! He was Mr.0! Or was this Straw Hat wearing boy the real mastermind behind it all?

Luffy could hardly contain the laughter at their faces, so he decided to end the charade. "Shishishi! You should see your faces!" He yelled before falling to the floor and gripping his sides. "They're so scared! They think I'm that 0 guy!"

His friends gave up on trying to understand what was happening. This madness had left them all more confused than the mountain climbing stream. They would just watch and hope for the best.

"W-who are you than?" Mr.9 asked timidly. Miss All Sunday was still a large threat to their safety, but the boy seemed to be a ticking time bomb of crazy power.

Luffy stopped and got up, standing before them with a wide smile. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be King of the Pirates."


	10. A Princess is Revealed

Hello everyone! Happy birthday to me! In celebration, here's a chapter! Not really the most exciting gift but, eh. No fights or anything this chapter, but the next shouold hold some interesting encounters. The second half will be a lot of mushy fluff romance, so be warned. I feel like putting that in. Still not a lot of LuRo out there and this is still a LuRo and a Romance so, fluff! Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece.

* * *

Mr.9 and Miss Wednesday were less than pleased with the boy's answer. A pirate of that immense power could be a deadly threat to their lives. Though if Miss All Sunday was there, he may be a new recruit into the Numbered Agents.

Mr.9 tried to hide the sadness he felt from this realization. He'd no doubt be knocked out of the rotation compared to this boy. He liked not being a faceless nobody in the shadow organization. Though not being known by your name for all this time hurt, he liked his new persona. This boy showed up and pulled them from the belly of the beast and was powerful enough to joke about being Mr.0 without fear.

Miss Wednesday had a different feeling stirring inside. A mixture of fear and rage. All the time she had infiltrating the organization. The risk, the care she put into tailing Nico Robin. Then she shows up out of nowhere with this insanely powerful boy and takes her hostage without having to do anything. Was it all for nothing? Did she plan it all along? "W-what are you doing here, Miss All Sunday?" She asked the woman, hoping her identity had been kept secret.

Robin smiled at the effort Princess Vivi was putting into that question. No matter how much time she spent with Luffy, she could still enjoy the small things of people cowering in fear. In fact, that may increase with him along. "Well, Princess, it was actually chance. Isn't that right, Luffy?" She asked him as he walked over to untie them.

"Not really." He said plainly as he started working on the knots. Old guy really could tie them well. "We're here to help!" Luffy yelled proudly before starting to gnaw on the ropes. He couldn't pull them apart without hurting the two tied up inside them. He was also impatient and didn't want to go through an ordeal of trying to act normal.

"Than why didn't you kill that whale?! We're starving!" Mr.9 yelled out at the boy, averting his gaze from his only known boss. The princess comments went right over his head, mainly from the fact that he wore a little crown which could make him seem kind of like a prince. That was the only way he saw to help them.

"Huh?" Luffy asked before spitting out some rope fibers. He was able to gnaw enough to break it, even if it tasted awful. "Not that kind of help!" He yelled angrily before hitting Mr.9 lightly on the head for suggesting he'd kill Laboon. A lump was left on his head that rivaled a cantaloupe from his extreme strength. "We're here to help Vivi."

"Who's Vivi?" Everyone but Robin and Vivi herself asked.

Robin took the chance to answer that question. "Princess Vivi of Alabasta." Robin said as she walked to Miss Wednesday, giving a small curtsy of respect. She was no longer an enemy or threat, and was royalty after all. "I've known for quite some time, so has Mr.0" She said as she lost her smile. She actively decided to hide Crocodile's identity for now. There was no chance the her friends could be saved from that fact, but Mr.9 stood no chance.

Mr.9 however was the first to accept the fact, bowing before the woman he had worked with. "I had no idea I was working with royalty." He said before his brain started to work properly. "Why was I working with royalty?"

"Vivi infiltrated this organization in hopes of stopping the leader's plan. To overthrow Alabasta Kingdom, her home country, in Civil War." Robin said, circling Vivi like a shark. She may have been saved from Crocodile's inevitable betrayal, but the fact remained that Vivi did not trust her, and needed to be kept under watch in case of retaliation.

"That's horrible!" Everyone yelled seemingly in unison. They all waited for further explanation before they added any opinions. However Nami and Zoro could see going on a grand adventure to save her kingdom coming miles away.

"But it is true." Vivi said calmly before her eyes fell on Nico Robin. "You knew all along?" She asked, to which Robin nodded. "Then I have a question, who is he in all of this?" Vivi asked with a point to Luffy, who had managed to tangle himself in the rope he played with during their long talk. He certainly didn't seem like the type to make plans, even if he did look like he would charge into them.

"Well…" Robin paused as she looked at Luffy. She sprouted some arms to help untangle him. She didn't really have an explanation for where Luffy fit into the equation. Even as a potential candidate for a Numbered Agent, his strength was greatly undervalued. He was without doubt the strongest man she had met, stronger than Crocodile himself by leagues. The time traveling being of destruction he turned into only made him a larger inigma. "He's an expert at taking down tyrants." Robin decided divulging the more personal relationship was unnecessary.

"Plus we're getting married!" Luffy yelled out as he finally got out of the ropes. Sanji fell to the ground in a depression at the concrete ending to his romantic endeavors. Nami hid her rage by hitting Sanji and stating that she was still there to swoon over. He didn't really notice however, opting to rush to Robin with a big hug instead. The history loving assassin looked a lot less threatening with a teenager slinging her around in circles in a hug.

Mr.9 accepted this with greater ease than even some members of the boy's crew. He had no issue seeing love bloom between unlikely people. He did after all have his eye on a pink haired body building woman who could snap him in half at any moment, so why couldn't this boy be in love with an extremely deadly assassin?

Vivi looked at the two questioningly. That was almost as hard to believe as Nico Robin miraculously becoming an ally. The boy was certainly energetic, powerful, and smarter than he seemed, but they were still an odd couple. The follow up question did not help her mind, especially at the question of 'Why' they were together. "What kind of power do you have that allows you to take down tyrants?"

Luffy smile and stretched out his cheeks. "I'm a Rubber Man!" He boasted proudly. He didn't get to do that as much this time around. Primarily because he was too busy wiping the people he fought off of the map, but that was beside the point.

Robin noticed the blush, albeit a faint one, on Vivi's cheeks. That really was the thought that ran through everyone's head. It was kind of funny to see a woman of royalty blush over something like that, but was amusing all the same. She certainly wasn't going to keep anyone from thinking such naughty thoughts. She'd just go the extra mile to show he was hers. Though from everything she had seen, Luffy did most of the proving in their relationship.

Sanji could feel his heart rip at mention of his power. To think he had wasted his interest on the Suke Suke no Mi! The Gomu Gomu no Mi was getting women swooning over that damn that rubber idiot!

"Well, that sure is interesting… But how does that make you a match for Crocodile?" She said before covering her mouth. Robin sighed as everyone else gasped. How did Vivi ever think she could infiltrate Baroque Works when she couldn't keep herself from letting something like that slip.

"Because I'm a Rubber Man." Luffy stated again. The initial shock of finding out they were going to fight a Schichibukai washed away by the tidal wave of stupidity in saying that was a good reason. Only Mr.9 was focused on it anymore.

Vivi noticed no fear in the boys eyes at the mention of his name. Normal people wouldn't dare take him on. Maybe the rubber brain prevented him from having fear? It didn't matter, she was planning to take on Crocodile against impossible odds, why wouldn't he? But, why would he in the first place? "Then why are you helping me at all?"

Luffy brought his smile back down to a complacent stare. He didn't give much thought to the Why of his actions. If he felt something was right, he did it. But that typically wasn't the best answer. "Well…" He looked to Robin, and had an empathy! Was the word empathy… Epiphany? Sounded like a made up word, but maybe it was right. "Robin was planning on it anyway, so I decided to help her!" She might not have planned it from the beginning, but she knew Crocodile was bad and was going to stop him this time. Half-Lies saved the day again!

All eyes were now on Robin, who looked as calm as ever. She lightly smiled and played along with Luffy's plan. Unlike her rubber brained fiancee, she could lie with ease. It had become a survival mechanism. "It's true. The plans sickened me, but I went along. That's why I led you to him, as a sign of support. But he found out, so I needed more help." Luckily she was lying for a greater good this time. Vivi would likely trust them all more if she believed they were allies through unspoken means.

"Then… I thank you." Vivi said as she stood, no longer fearing the menacing looking crew before her. "I have a log pose so we can go to the next-"

"We have one." Nami said as she pointed to the one Robin so graciously gave her. Without one of those, they'd have been doomed. As much as she disliked the relationship between her and Luffy, at least someone intelligent and prepared was among them now.

"Good. Mr.9." Vivi said before turning to her partner in crime. He was obviously shaken by the rapid turn of events, and she wanted to calm him down. "I know this is a lot to take in, but please."

"Say no more princess!" He said before bowing before her. "You are my greatest friend, and for that, I will not speak a word of this!" He declared before bringing his head up, a wide smile on his face.

"Thank you." Vivi said before hugging him. She had grown a friendship with him as well. She didn't want to think of having to hurt him to assure her country's safety. "We must go to Whiskey Peak, can you please take us there?" Vivi asked Luffy, who only smiled and nodded. If it wasn't for that overwhelming display of strength, she'd never have guessed he was the one in charge.

* * *

The time it took to sail to the island was relatively quick. Luffy watched Robin and Vivi with a smile. Vivi was wild with apologies for the woman she had believed to be her enemy. Mr.9 was showing off his skills with his bats to Usopp, swatting away his lead stars with surprising ease. Sanji was nowhere to be seen, presumably cooking for their newest guest. Nami was making sure they were heading in the right direction. Zoro was charging at him angrily. Wait what?

"Luffy!" He yelled as he got close, making his captain jump from the figurehead.

"What Zoro?" He asked, cocking his head. He definitely didn't remember this if it happened last time.

"What was that?!" He yelled, pointing in the direction they came from. He couldn't believe the raw strength the lanky looking captain had. He knew Luffy was strong. No doubts he was the strongest in any of the Blues. But they were nearly ripped apart just getting into the Grand Line and he pushed a whale out of the way with a strong push! The ship ramming into it wouldn't have caught that thing's attention!

"Oh. Well I call it the Gum Gum Bazooka. I just take my arms and-" He began an explanation of his attack, not paying much mind to how it wouldn't help Zoro at all.

"Not that! You pushed a damn whale!" He yelled again, starting to attract the attention of the new guests.

"Well, I'm strong." Luffy said casually as he flexed. It would be funny to hear a lanky kid with nowhere near as much muscle definition as the man he was speaking to claim he was simply strong, if not for the overwhelming strength within him.

"Than train me!" Zoro yelled before calming down. He was committed body and soul to becoming the greatest swordsman in the world, but learned he was far from it. Mihawk didn't even see him worthy of being fought with a real sword. The moment Luffy jumped in, he reached for a legendary sword in defense. Luffy was no swordsman, but he had the extraordinary power.

"Well we'd need lots of bears…" He said almost cryptically, confusing Zoro. "Wait! I shall be the bear!" Luffy said, a metaphorical light bulb above his head.

* * *

"Did he just say he'll be the bear?" Vivi asked her new friend Robin as she watched the two strange men shout at one another.

"I believe so. Do you like coffee, princess?" Robin said, ignoring the odd spectacle as just another part of the day.

"I'm not the biggest fan, but I'll have some." She responded, ignoring the weird comment like Robin was.

"You don't have to just because I like it, Princess Vivi." Robin said as she poured herself a cup, waiting to see her response before putting it away.

"Well, I'd like to try the things you like, you did rescue me after all." Vivi said as she stuck out her cup to try it.

Robin smiled and decided to toy with her prey. Nami wasn't as fun to tease, she'd get violent. But Vivi only had a stray thought or two, perfect territory. "Well you don't have to try everything I like. I don't think Luffy even knows the meaning of 'ménage à trois.' Fufufu." Robin giggled before sipping her coffee, watching a princess turn various shades of red.

"I didn't mean that much!" Vivi yelled before hiding her face in the coffee. That was lewd, even by normal pirate standards. Though she knew Robin was merely teasing her. She highly doubted a woman like Robin would share her man. At least, not if he was fully committed to her.

* * *

"I'm not really a swordsman, but my Grandpa taught me a nice workout routine for building your strength!"

"Well what is it? I need to get stronger!" Zoro yelled, less in anger and more in excitement.

"Well it's just a lot of push ups, sit ups, squats, running, and fighting me!" He yelled out, causing Zoro to sweatdrop.

"But you just said you're not a swordsman. That's not really a fair fight." Zoro said, trying to understand how Luffy planned to fight him.

"We'll talk about it later, Zoro. We're here!" Luffy shouted as he saw the welcoming party. He liked the first bit of this. The drinks, the food, the good times. The attempted assassination was annoying, but worth all the food.

Zoro sighed and decided to let it go, for now. He'd get Luffy to train him. He walked over to Robin and sat by her as Vivi got up. "Baroque Works was really after overthrowing a country?" He asked, curious to what he narrowly avoided.

"Correct, somewhat. It was more of a cover for the intent of retrieving an ancient weapon." She stated as she looked at Vivi. Since meeting Luffy she had gained a lot of lost humanity and pitied the girl for what she nearly did.

"Ha, good thing you guys didn't accept my terms. Would suck to be the guy in charge of overthrowing a country, especially for just a cover up." He said with a smirk as he stood back up.

"Yes… That's a lot of harm to cause over something as silly as a weapon." Robin said as her eyes sunk lower. Zoro had already walked off towards the village in search of booze, leaving her to soak in self pity. She didn't typically dwell on the things she had done for the sake of knowledge or survival. Killing people simply did not bother her at this point in her life. But she almost tore down a civilization over that weapon. Luckily Luffy saved her, from both that fate and her own sorrow.

"Oi! Robin! Come on!" He called out before running to her. "They have a party ready for us!" Luffy grinned as he picked her up without so much as a warning. Luckily she was getting used to him whisking her away when she needed him. "There's going to be meat!"

* * *

"Welcome travelers!" A tall man with extremely curled hair said as the ship neared them. He tried to spot any tell tale signs of pirates, but could see no Jolly Roger. "Welcome to Whiskey Peak!"

Most everyone focused on the introduction given to them by the man with a questionable hairstyle, but Luffy focused his sight beyond. Something he didn't bother paying much attention to was a major focus for him now. The cactus fields. Or rather, the graveyard. How could something so grim escape him? These people didn't just try to kill them, they successfully killed others.

"Please! Come! Enjoy a feast in your honor!" The man declared as people started to climb or jump down. Luffy shook his head and jumped down with Robin, smiling at how she always closed her eyes for the jump. How she gripped his arm a bit tighter. It was rather cute. He did need something new to focus on after that cactus graveyard.

"Food!" He yelled as he ran past the people who greeted them and rushed to where he remembered lots of food. If anything could embed a memory, it was the location of meat.

"Luffy! Wait!" Vivi cried out as he ran past them all and to the restaurant. She couldn't tell Igaram in front of everyone that they were allies, but she could still call off the ambush soon. "Does he always do stuff like that?" She asked the crew, who all nodded mid facepalm.

"Pirates are always welcome, Miss Wednesday, you know this." Igaram said with a big smile before it was thoroughly relinquished.

"We're not pirates. We're…" Nami tried to think of a good name for what they were. Luffy's 'Concerned Citizen' line was getting warn out.

"Brave Warrior's of the Sea!" Usopp declared as he stepped out. "I, Captain Usopp, will graciously accept a feast in our honor!" He decreed for the crew, who hit him in unison for his lie. The first part however sounded nice enough to go with, and it's all he could talk about anyway.

Meanwhile with our favorite odd couple.

"This is all so good!" Luffy yelled out through a stuffed mouth. He had only really eaten two bad foods in his life. His Devil Fruit, and Pie. It was no Sanji Special, but it was still good. They were trying to lull them into a false sense of security before killing them with it after all.

"We're glad you like it." A tall nun said in a very light tone. Luffy roughly remembered her. She was a scary looking woman under there.

"It is very good, Miss Monday." Robin said with a smile as she eyed the woman, freezing her with fear. Her position in Baroque Works left her with an overwhelming amount of power and fear amongst the subordinates. She was the only known boss, and no power could keep her from killing them. The irony of the matter is that if Luffy had joined, he'd still have no need to fear her. Can't snap a rubber neck.

"T-thank you, Miss All Sunday." She said as she stepped away. Few people could sprout fear in the confident strong-woman, but Miss All Sunday certainly was one of them.

"Oi, Robin, are they all really so scared of you?" Luffy asked as he finished a piece another large leg of meat.

"Fufufu. Dreadfully terrified." She corrected with a smile as she sipped her coffee.

"Shishishi. You're scared of heights." He said, playing with her apparent fear.

"I am not." She defended calmly as she sipped her coffee. "I'm scared of heights when combined with high speeds."

"Shishishi. Same thing." He said happily before picking up his drink. He tried to drink coffee like her a couple of times, he couldn't stop bouncing everywhere.

Robin quietly bit into her sandwich and ignored his laughs. It was embarrassing to think Luffy may go around and spill her secrets to anyone.

Luffy finished his meal and looked at Robin. He held back on the amount this time for a multitude of reasons, the first was a little gift to her. "Come on, let's walk off that meal." He said with a smile as he walked towards the door, eying the 'nun' by the door. Her job was to make sure they stayed there, but she wouldn't try anything to Miss All Sunday, so they left just as the others started to get in.

"Where are we going Luffy?" Robin asked as he dragged her up a large hill. It was the only passable area, and looked like it got quite a lot of foot traffic.

"Well I heard of this place last time. I think you'd like it." He said with a smirk as they reached the top. Sure enough, a large shallow graveyard, each baring a tinycross.

"Quite the lovely spot." She said with a smile as Luffy walked with her. The peace and quiet of the dead let her think.

"Glad you like it." He said as he sat her down with him in a clear spot. Sitting on a grave seemed disgraceful.

"Well I liked the feast too, you know." She said with a smile before resting her head on his shoulder.

"You like this place better though, right?" He asked with a cocked head.

"I suppose, since it's just us." Robin said, trying to hint at him that venue didn't matter.

"Oh! I get it." He said before leaning in to kiss her. Even with the additional time, a rubber brain made picking up on signals hard. "I love you too, Robin."

Robin smiled and nuzzled against him even more. He was a bit slow to get things at times, but at least he was getting better. "Is there any particular reason you wanted to come up here?" She asked with a questioning look, pondering why he was being so romantic as to take her to the graveyard.

"Oh, well they may try and kill us, so I'd rather you be up here." He said as if it was no big deal. Which to him, it wasn't. A hundred or so kicks and he'd be back in the town ready to fight. But Vivi was on their side, and Robin was there. They found her scary, so maybe that would protect them all.

"I can handle myself Luffy." Robin defended almost pouting over his constant protection. She had survived twenty years on her own, but Luffy acted like she was a defenseless damsel.

"I know, but that doesn't mean I can't protect you." He said, holding her tighter as he said it. "I spent a lot of time training to protect all of you."

"Then at least try to spread out the protection, Luffy." Robin said as she shifted to hold him back. She could feel his pain. It seemingly radiated from his being when he talked about it. It was traumatic enough to stretch out time to start again.

"Yes dear." He said almost mockingly. He meant it, but he never heard it said with any seriousness behind it. "They have Zoro for now, they'll be fine. Besides, they didn't try to kill us till nightfall last time anyway."


	11. Explosive Ideas! Agents Down

Hello everyone! Glad to see the reactions. Not every chapter can be action packed, but I will try to improve the qualities of the ones when they come up. Remember how powerful Luffy is, so don't expect any fair fights. If he wants to end a fight, it will be over quick. But he'll hold back for the sake of his surroundings and the lives of his enemies (not all of them deserve to die in his opinion, at least the grunts.) Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece.

* * *

"Well, it's starting to get dark already, should we head back Luffy?" Robin asked as she watched the sun set from her spot on his chest, listening to the odd beat of a rubber heart. It was a quite interesting anatomical change, though not the most impressive one, which she would never admit to.

"I guess so." He groaned as he stood, taking her hand. "So umm, don't get mad." He said with a smile before picking her up and using Soru to land on one of the buildings in town, making her grip tightly to him. He considered doing it a few more times just for that, but that would be too cruel.

"A bit more of a head's up next time." Robin said as she climbed out of his grasp, trying to regain her composer. She walked down on steps made of her arms to the ground below, as Luffy jumped and waited at the bottom.

"They should be drinking inside." Luffy said as he walked in, sure enough they were all there. Miss Monday had thrown away her outfit whenever Robin called her out, and was losing an arm wrestling contest with Zoro. Mr.9 was acting as a cheerleader to the muscled woman, which she needed.

Robin smiled and elbowed him lightly, getting his attention. "I say you arm wrestle the winner, Luffy. Show them who's captain."

"Sure." He said as he walked over to the table they were wrestling at. Miss Monday was giving it her all and then some, but Zoro didn't even budge. He put one hand to his mouth and faked a yawn before putting effort into it and slamming her arm through the table. "Zoro! Arm Wrestle me!"

The crowd took one look at the boy and had to choke down their laughter. Anyone who could beat her so easily could crush this kid with his pinky, but that's not the impression the new champion gave off. He was in a cold sweat as he moved to another table. He wrapped a bandana around his head and mentally prepped himself. The lanky boy who challenged him just laughed and sat down across from him.

"Captain, don't break my arm." Zoro seemingly joked, but Luffy could feel how serious the request was. Everyone else chocked it up to a mocking the poor boy. The captain comment got them though. If that boy was a captain, he had to be a tactical genius, using the muscle like Zoro to do his bidding.

"Shishishi. I'll try." Luffy said, focusing on things besides the contest so he wouldn't accidentally go against his wishes.

* * *

"Who do you think will win, Princess?" Robin questioned Vivi, who had taken to planting herself by Robin at almost all times.

"I'm not sure. Your captain is an extremely powerful man, so I assume he will win. However, I do not know just how strong Mr. Bushido is, so I can't really say."

"Luffy will win." Nami added as she sipped from her tankard of whatever booze they had at this point.

"Of course he'll win." Robin added. Vivi took this as a sign to not doubt the rubber boy's strength as the contest continued.

* * *

"Dammit! Move! This! Arm!" Zoro muttered under his breath as he pushed against Luffy's arm. Luffy was doing the same thing to him that he had done to humiliate that Monday woman, and it was pissing him off. The shocked crowd of onlookers didn't help his ego in the slightest.

"Zoro, are we starting?" Luffy asked, shocking everyone at how genuine the question seemed. Either the boy was a cruel mocker, or he truly had no idea that the green haired swordsman was giving his all in an attempt to so much as move his arm.

"Of course we're starting!" Zoro yelled in annoyance at his captain. It was insane that with every ounce of strength Luffy wouldn't budge. He had trained all his life to become the strongest swordsman, but it wasn't enough to make Luffy put effort into the contest.

"Oh… Got it!" Luffy yelled before pushing forward on Zoro's tensed arm. It slammed down and through the table even more effortlessly than Miss Monday's through the last one. Zoro was left panting and gripping his arm as Luffy looked at the crowd. "I want more meat!" He yelled out, claiming his prize for victory. Despite the lack of food, no one there would dare deny that beast food, less he decide one of them were a suitable substitute.

* * *

"That's my man." Robin cooed at Luffy's outstanding victory over Zoro. It was a barbaric test of strength she would normally overlook. However, her man was in it and came out the clear victor, so she maintained bragging rights. She left the small group she was in to sit by Luffy and feed him his winnings. It still shocked the crew that she was brave enough to feed him, giving his typical style of eating, but he did take special care not to bite off any fingers.

Nami sighed and took another swig from her tankard. It was getting easier to cope with the couple, but that may just be because of the amount of liquor in her system. At least she got to enjoy Vivi's company. "Hey, so, how do you feel about Robin?" She asked, trying to gauge Vivi's feelings on her former enemy.

"She's a very brave and intelligent woman to get so close to Crocodile and betray him at the last moment. I value her assistance in my fight against him. Why do you ask? Do you think it's another trick?" Vivi asked cautiously.

"No nothing like that." Nami reassured before setting down her drink. "What do you think of her being with Luffy?"

"Oh. Well they seem like an odd couple. Such a mature and dangerous woman with a young and careless man like him. Though they both seem happy. Why do you ask?" Vivi asked, not yet picking up on the rather obvious reason.

"No reason. Thanks." Nami said before finishing her drink and searching for another. She could entrust that Zoro would find one after losing the arm wrestling contest. Though that may be just to numb the pain in his arm.

* * *

"Hey, it's dark." Luffy said as he looked out the window. "Oi! Umm… Miss Wednesday! You aren't going to try and kill us, are you?" Luffy asked across the room, making everyone freeze. They surely changed their plans at the sight of the monster that was a captain, but they didn't expect he knew of their plans before hand.

"We wouldn't get anything anyway. You're not pirates so there's no reward." Vivi responded with a weak smile, depressing everyone when they heard their was no money to be made.

"Shishishi. Than I just have to deal with booger guy and heavy girl." Luffy said before he walked towards the door. The four lower tier agents could hardly speak at the mention of Mr.5 and Miss Valentine. Miss All Sunday was terrifying, but she seemed to be an ally. Those two showing up did not promise good things however.

"What is he talking about, string bean?" Miss Monday asked Mr.9 as she hoisted him by the collar. The flood of events didn't help ease her mind since she had yet to be filled in to the fullest. She only knew that Robin wouldn't start snapping spines for fun and that the straw hatted monster was not to be messed with. The moss headed swordsman was no pushover either.

"I. I can only assume we're getting visitors." He replied, guarding his face and the only valuable thing he had kept all his life. Priceless family jewels.

"So, Luffy, I take it you've dealt with Mr.5 and Miss Valentine in the past? Or rather future…" Robin said as she walked alongside him. That was the problem with time travel. Things happened in his past that were the future for them now.

"Yeah. They really annoyed me the first time. Then they came back and…" Luffy stopped and formed a fist. Brogy and Dorry. Mr.5 interfered with a fight that had lasted a century. Mr.3 did too, but Mr.5 never did anything to redeem himself. That was enough to get him to kick his ass all over again. "Annoyed me again."

"Well I can order them back. Crocodile may find out, but I haven't checked back in for days so I doubt he's too happy anyway." Robin said, almost smiling at the thought of Crocodile losing the most valuable piece of his puzzle. She would enjoy watching Luffy fight him.

"That's no fun! Just scare them a bit for me." Luffy said as he looked around. He hardly paid attention when they first showed up, but the guy had a bad habit of picking his nose and flicking the boogers, so they weren't really stealthy.

"Fufufu. So cruel Luffy. You know you've already got me, no need to try and steal my heart." Robin giggled at Luffy's request. It was an unexpected but not unbelievable request. He didn't seem to hold in fights, so why expect him to not enjoy the fight?

A large explosion rocked the area, but hardly phased the couple. The building in question fell to the ground in a pile of rubble and a roar of fire. Two people were visible next to it, one looking annoyed and the other upset.

"Are you ever subtle? We don't need the entire island to know we're here before we get there you know." The scrawny woman with an umbrella said, critiquing her partners methods.

"I didn't do it on purpose. I sneezed." The dark skinned man in a jumpsuit said as he wiped his nose, staring at the building. "If I could only explode at will, I would." He said to the woman, but never looked away from the fire.

"Yeah I know, big problem not being able to control yourself." She responded, walking ahead and leaving him to gawk. "We're under orders here, we need to find the princess."

Luffy bounded towards them with ease, standing beside Mr.5 and looking into the fire with him. Mr.5 had barely noticed, but opted to speak up. "What are you, a pyromaniac?" He asked, starting to pick his nose in case the boy needed to be eradicated.

"But, you're the one who blew it up. Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Luffy asked, cocking his head at the man. Just punching him would have been boring. Besides, he didn't actually know what was up with the guy anyway."I didn't mean to, so no." He responded, still knuckle deep in his nose gold mine. "I'd put it out if I had time, but I have a job to do." Mr.5 responded before turning away. The boy was an idiot not worth one of his attacks.

"Than what if you were a fireman? Your job could be to put it out." Luffy said plainly, unaware of the bomb man's dream. It just seemed like a good idea.

"Well that's not my job, so I'm going to let it burn." He replied, continuing to walk towards his now irritated partner.

"Oh. Well that sucks. If you changed your job I wouldn't have to beat you till you're a blood stain on the ground." Luffy said in an upbeat tone loud enough for both of them to hear.

"Did that punk just threaten us?" She asked, glaring back towards the boy. Mr.5 did the same, though he prepped a rather large boogie.

"I believe he did. Dumb move, kid." He said before flicking the booger at him. Luffy wasn't above picking now and again, but making a weapon out of it was gross. He locked his body up and focused on his muscles, tightening them all over. His rubber body combined with Tekkai would make this a strong gust of wind. Having your brother be made of fire, your blood boil, and the various other heat he dealt with would make the fire hardly bothersome. At least he had the presence of mind to get that string for his hat.

Mr.5 smirked softly at the explosion his booger created. It always felt nice to deal with some pest like that. He could always picture their headstone with the inscription "Killed by Booger" on it. It was such a funny thing to think about in his line of work. As he turned however, he heard a snicker…

"Shishishi. You want to talk about dumb moves?" Luffy said, slowly walking towards the two. They froze up at the sight, which he took pleasure in seeing. "Oi, Miss All Sunday, how dumb would you say that was?" Luffy asked his bride-to-be who was watching from a rooftop nearby. The mere mention of her name caused the two to shake at the knees.

"Fufufu. The dumbest I've seen in a while, dear." Robin said in an amused tone as she watched her man bare down on his enemies. She almost didn't believe he was himself when he fought.

"Wow. That must mean it was really dumb." Luffy said as the girl started to float up and out of the immediate proximity. He knew she had the power to be really fat, without looking really fat, or something. "Hey, you can fly? That's pretty cool…" Luffy said, staring up at her, seemingly infatuated.

"Sure can. But you know the saying, what goes up..." Miss Valentine couldn't take a chance. If this boy wanted them dead and was somehow paired with Miss All Sunday, it was going to have to be quick. "must come down! Kil-o-Tine!" She yelled, dropping down with a one thousand kilo leg, ready to take off his head.

"Oh yeah. The mystery weight…" Luffy said almost to himself. He knew about gravity, but never really had a teacher to explain why stuff came back down. Oh well, didn't matter if you keep hitting stuff. He decided to show off his new incredible strength to scare them both. He caught her leg as it got close, leaving the rest of her body to whip past and slam into the ground. Mr.5 was left staring as the boy held up a thousand kilos with one arm.

"Are we about to be killed by someone who doesn't understand gravity?!" Mr.5 yelled out in supreme shock. Miss Valentine may not have been the out and out strongest, but her skills were advanced and that power of hers was extremely useful. Whoever this boy was, he was impervious to explosives and extremely strong, effectively making them useless combatants against him.

"I suppose you are." Robin commented from her cozy position, causing Mr.5 to look up at her. He felt right for her plan as Luffy ran towards him and swung Miss Valentine like a hammer. She tried to decrease her weight as much as possible, but was still left as a few hundred kilos of pain hitting her partner in the chest, breaking more than a couple of ribs.

"Hey! I know how to kick your ass, so screw gravity!" Luffy yelled at the man who was bleeding internally. A moot point to say it, but it really made no difference.

Mr.5 gripped at his chest feverishly. He was no doctor, but the blood he was coughing up after being hit with a quite literal human weapon was a sure sign that he was not in good shape. His breaths burned and his vision was getting blurry. The boy walked to him, though his face was different than he expected. He almost looked upset to see him in that state. He had half a mind to spit some exploding blood at him, but it would do no good. Valentine would surely die from the futile attempt, and she just may be spared. She wasn't a friend, but she didn't deserve to be killed in an act of defiance.

"Hey uh, you alright?" Luffy asked, dropping Miss Valentine who was surprisingly okay from her bought as a bat. He had almost forgotten how strong the training had made him. One hit and this guy was about to die. He didn't particularly hate him. He just hurt Dorry. But no matter the intent, he was probably going to die from this.

"What do you think?" Mr.5 coughed up, looking angrily at the boy. He wanted to wipe him off the face of the planet, but it was useless. "What's it matter, anyway? You win. We failed before we started."

"Well, you were planning on assassinating a princess…" Luffy said, scratching his head slowly. "Maybe don't do that?"

"It was a job. It didn't matter to me." He replied, wiping his mouth once more. He was getting really tired of this game.

"Sounds like a bad job… Hey, Robin! This guy's gonna die! What do I do?" Luffy asked, looking for some insight. The one thing not in his voice was any intent to save the man.

"Well, he does have a devil fruit. It could fund our journey for quite some time. Especially since we know what it is." Robin said, evaluating the situation with some tact. Selling his fruit could fund their endeavors for a long time. Enough to get the ship properly repaired, even upgraded in the right dock. Though that's only if Luffy wanted.

"Oh yeah. He's a bomb man… Should I eat it?" Luffy asked, cocking his head at the question. Even Mr.5 in his near death state stared at the boy with worry. How could anyone be so stupid?

"Well Luffy, while I've never seen it personally, you're said to explode if you eat two Devil Fruits." Robin tried to explain. Luffy definitely should have known something like that. At very least from his previous life experiences.

"Exactly! He's a Bomb Man, right? So he's immune to explosions. Which means that power would keep you from exploding, right?" He questioned again, though this time the stares were not insulting. They were fascination. Mr.5's power had been… Overlooked as just another destructive Paramecia. However, if your body explodes when eating two, but it makes you immune to explosions, than it may just be a powerful tool. "But if I'm wrong, I die. So maybe I shouldn't…" Luffy said, stroking his chin as Mr.5 finally succumbed to his injuries, and passed on. Robin smiled as she watched him slip away with a look of anger on his face. He really could have been a powerhouse, if he weren't fodder compared to Luffy.

"Well, I don't want you eating it if you'll die. I'm not so sure I could rescue you the same way you rescued me. So could you possibly put a pin in that plan?" Robin asked as she walked towards Luffy, wrapping him in a hug when she got close enough. The idea was rather clever to say the least, but it involved Luffy being a lab rat with dangerous consequences. If the pain he felt when losing her was enough to rip apart, or stretch out rather, time itself, she wouldn't go through that. It was too much on top of her life. She'd fight for him too, which meant no being a human stick of dynamite.

"Of course, Robin. I just had a thought. No eating stuff that will make me explode, promise." Luffy said with a smile, wrapping his arms around her. He shifted a little to plant his foot on the now conscious Valentine, though he didn't even give her the courtesy of breaking his hug. "But uh, what do we do with her?"

* * *

Well, Luffy just had a glimpse at how powerful he had become. Should pushing a giant whale with his bare hands have been a sign? Well of course, but no one died over it. It's the first time he's dealt with the consequences on a one to one scale. He either fought the crowd and left or sent the person flying. Arlong was different, he had every intention of killing him this time around. Mr.5 was a relatively weak fighter who hurt Dorry just long enough to make him lose one fight. That's not really enough to warrant murder, but he couldn't handle his own power. I know I'll probably receive comments on Luffy's, and of course my, theory on the Bomu Bomu no Mi, please consider that it is just a theory. Mr.5 in canon gave up his life of assassination in order to become a fireman. He wouldn't need to ponder his potential. I do hope however that you all give some thought to this. P.S. Sorry this chapter is shorter than some others, for a list of reasons I'd rather not go into I am not at full capacity. I luckily was able to finish most of this last night, so while quantity may suffer, quality hopefully did not.


	12. Last Night at the Peak

I have no excuse for being away this long from this story. I really don't. All I can say is the quality, starting from the next chapter since this one was about half done when I started working on it again, will improve. I will also be needing all of those loyal enough to still be around to give me feedback. If you've been reading my other story, what aspects do you want me to bring over? Should the chapters be about as long as those, or stay the same. I would like to give my most sincere apologies for making those of you who really enjoy this story wait.

* * *

Robin looked at the injured woman on the ground. She didn't really have a strong feeling about Miss Valentine. She was good enough at her job to be an officer, but nothing really special. Now she looked like a pathetic billions agent. "I believe that's up to you, Luffy." Robin responded to Luffy's question as the piece of human cattle below her looked up, pleading with her eyes.

"Please don't ki-" Miss Valentine tried to beg, but Luffy cut her off.

"I don't wanna kill her, Robin. But what if she comes after us again? She's not a big threat to us, but she could hurt Merry with her fat power!" Luffy said, ignoring the woman's plea while at the same time answering it. First time around, Luffy wouldn't have even thought about the dangers. But now he knew what was at stake.

"I won't try anything! I prom-" Miss Valentine really couldn't get a word in edgewise on the two-person conversation. She also didn't appreciate the term 'Fat Power' to describe her Devil Fruit, but that was really secondary to her life.

"That's a good point, Luffy." Robin cut her off once more, not even paying her any mind. She didn't know what Luffy did last time, but she had to assume he spared her for this to be troubling him now. "We could hand her over to Miss Monday and Mr. Nine. They may not be as strong as her, but if we were to incapacitate her, she would be easy to handle."

"I didn't know he was an agent! Please, I can go back to wor-" Miss Valentine was offering the oldest and least successful bargain in witness history. That she'd just forget what she saw and go back to business as usual. When your business is murder, that's no longer an option.

Robin got tired of the slight outbursts and covered up Valentine's mouth with flowed hands. This way she and Luffy could have a decent conversation. Luffy took advantage and yelled "Great idea!" Before picking up the woman, who was still a few hundred kilos in weight. Robin didn't know, Luffy hardly noticed, and Miss Valentine was terrified by the overwhelming strength the man displayed with no effort.

* * *

The trio returned back to the ship at a leisurely pace. Luffy and Robin were enjoying the night air, and quite frankly Miss Valentine couldn't protest. They walked side by side with her arm around his back. Miss Valentine was thrown over Luffy's other shoulder and keeping quiet even though the sprouted hands were gone, at risk of her own life. She was an unwanted third party for their beautiful walk together.

The town had quieted down since they had left. With the ruse over and no bounty to be claimed anyway, it was a waste to party. Instead, the people sorted out rations while the guests enjoyed the one thing none of the residents needed. Booze.

Nami was drunk as a skunk who thought her bunk contained a hunk. Or just plain hammered as most would call it. She gathered up a fine assortment of cheap this and cheap that and had some drinking contests with those stupid enough to think they had a chance. She drank them under the table and gave their livers' a remember me by.

Zoro was left with a true pirate's drink. Rum. He was drinking like a fish and smiling like a clown. Rum had the surprising effect of making him a Happy Drunk. Singing one of the couple sea shanties he picked up from here and there during his travels. The bounty hunters who decided to join him were singing along to the broken, slurred version of Drunken Sailor merrily.

Sanji wasn't drinking. Last time ended with him in bed with women who were individually more man than he was, and he would not be making the same mistake. He was hitting on a couple ladies who looked like they carried a card for Miss Monday's fan club, seeing as they were wearing nearly identical nun outfits. He was having more luck with them than he did with most, which wasn't saying much.

Usopp had gotten more acquainted with Mr. 9 while they stayed of their own free will. He was an interesting guy, at least if you could peel back the layer of anonymity the job he previously had forced upon him. He had been a member of some band of people on an island he wouldn't divulge the name of, for some reason. Though since marching, rock, and bandit bands are all bad news it was obvious he had been breaking the law for a while. The dual bats were so he wouldn't have to kill anyone in battle. The news of his skills spread and he was eventually offered a spot as number nine in Baroque Works after he was forced to fight the current number nine. That lunatic fought with a staff like some monk, claiming it was the weapon of god.

That, however, was where Mr. Nine stopped talking. Partly over discomfort, partly because his girlfriend looked uneasy. Once he walked over to her, he saw why.

Luffy kicked open the door lightly, which meant it was so warped it would need to be replaced, and barged in with a woman draped over his shoulders. In Viking times this would mean a battle well fought! In pirate terms, it meant a battle most likely fought dirtily. In starving bounty hunters who planned on murdering these people terms, it meant they stood no chance. While none of them really knew Miss Valentine, they knew her power. That boy was carrying a thousand kilos over his shoulder and didn't break a sweat. In fact, he threw her down to the floor in front of the muscle-bound nun with such force the floor cracked. "Hey, muscle lady. Think you could watch her or something? I don't want to kill her too if I don't have to."

The room went dead silent. All eyes now on the jolly red boy who swooped in and made them all seem like weaklings. He had captured an officer agent nearly twice as powerful as Miss Monday, at very least in ranking, and just threw her down lack a sack of potatoes. This was followed by him making a declaration that suggested her partner, Mr. Five, was dead as a doornail. Finally, after people started to choke on the thick air of fear, the ice was broken. "If those two came here…" Considering the large jump between officers, there was no good reason for the five pair to come here. It most likely meant a cleaning expedition. "Three cheers for the monster kid! Mugi-wara! Mugi-wara!" The crowd started to cheer, spirits lifting up when they realized they avoided death. Miss Valentine was tied up by the nimble Mr. Nine before she could move. Not that she would so long as the Straw Hat boy was still there. Luffy smiled wide at the crowd and hugged Robin. "Cheers to her too!" The crowd would have cheered for anyone the boy told them to, so they started cheering for her as well. It spread through quickly once the numbered agents found out and started blabbing...(Cough Cough Mr. Nine Cough)

* * *

After the chanting, the couple went in search of a certain blue-haired woman who was no longer in the bar/restaurant area. They did hear her voice, however. Her loud, defensive voice. "Igaram I know it's strange! But he knew our identities anyway! Why would he offer to help if he wasn't serious about it? He'd have no trouble forcing us to go with him, or killing us for that matter…"

"It could be a con, princess! The evil mind of a pirate thinks… Ma, Ma, Ma … much differently." Igaram said to the woman he swore to protect. He found it suspicious that they'd swoop in, knowing all about her, and rescue their country.

"Hey, weird hair guy!" Luffy yelled, scaring both of the unsuspecting people. "You know you could talk to us directly, right?" Luffy said, walking over to them with Robin at his side.

Igaram was less than happy to hear us, then downright depressed to see Nico Robin being the 'Us' in question. "You're right. But it would change nothing. I do not like the idea of you taking away the Princess." Igaram stated, dreadfully contradicting what he had said last time. Though desperate men do desperate things…

"What does the princess think?" Robin asked before Luffy could retort. Igaram wanted to retort, but he'd only be proving the woman's point. She was a smart woman who would make the right-

"I trust you and your crew. You seem like good people." Vivi responded with a smile, though the comment was directed at Luffy. Whether it was out of bad blood or deference to the captain, Robin couldn't tell, but it did upset Igaram, which was nice.

"But princess! I have a, Ma Ma Ma!, ship ready to take us back to Alabasta. We don't need the help of these pir-"

"Oh yeah! That reminds me. Bomb guy's dead, and fat girl is back at the bar." The mention of the ship reminded Luffy of when it exploded. The correlation wasn't prevalent to the others there, but that was for the best given the circumstances.

Igaram stared in shock for a moment, brain running at the pace of Crocus's speech. Finally, he said, "Are you talking about the officer agents, Mr. Five and Miss Valentine?"

"Bomb Guy and Fat Girl," Luffy responded, seemingly unaware they had names besides the ones he felt fit to give them.

Robin, however, cleared things up. "Yes. Luffy here… Disposed of Mr. Five with Miss Valentine's body. She is currently being held by Miss Monday and Mr. Nine."

Vivi was less than happy with the fact they killed Mr. Five. The only one that deserved to die in her mind was Crocodile. "Do you believe them now, Igaram?" She asked, not suppressing the 'I told you so' in her tone at all.

Igaram couldn't blink. His eyes wouldn't allow it. He looked at the two over and over. "You truly mean her no harm?" He asked, standing by Vivi.

"Nope! I just want to get her home safe and kick Crocodile's ass!" Luffy half-yelled knowing that the alligator, which he had planned to call him as he kicked the warlord's ass, was a secret.

At the mention of his name, the unlikely unlucky pair flew overhead and perched on a nearby building. Before they could doodle a single rough draft of their new enemies, they had flowered arms sprout and grip them by the throats. After a quick panicked screech, and whatever you'd call the sound of a dying otter, the two were taken care of. All without a single word from Robin on the matter.

"If that's the case… I suppose you could-"

"Woohoo!" Luffy yelled, interrupting Igarappa the rappa, I mean Igaram, on purpose so he didn't give any stupid rules. Last time he begged them to take her!

Vivi chased after him while Robin stood behind, smiling and watching her seemingly cocaine-fueled boyfriend/fiancee literally bounce off the walls as he made his way back to the ship. Just as she was about to walk back herself, Igaram approached her.

"I don't know what you've done to fool them, but if you hurt the princess I will-" Once again Igaram was cut off, this time by a sharp stare instead of a blunt yell.

"I do not need to fool you, her, or anyone else anymore," Robin said before walking away, confident in her answer.

She was right to feel confident. Igaram was left speechless. He didn't expect the 'I don't need to lie' excuse. After all, it's what she was known for. But she really did have no reason to lie that he could see. The boy she was with had defeated two people vastly stronger than Igaram himself with ease, so Igaram would pose no threat to Luffy.

Robin walked on steadily. Enjoying the peace she felt after saying something so self-fulfilling. The best part of it was, it was the truth. She had someone who would die to protect her. Something she hadn't had in a very, very long time. It would've brought tears to her eyes if she wouldn't have to kill the witnesses.

* * *

Luffy's bouncing had gotten the attention of the people of Whiskey Peak, who at that point just thought he was insanely strong. Now he was an extremely strong...bouncy ball? It kind of took away from the intimidation, but not the overall threat. How would it feel to be beaten up by a dude whose power was to be bounce? Some bounce man beating you...ridiculous.

Nevertheless, Luffy finally made it to the ship and led the newest addition up to the ship. Showed her around. He gave her the old friend tour. By the time he was done, his crew was flocking to the boat.

"Hey, Luffy!" Zoro yelled, getting the attention of his captain. "We going to spend the night here or what? They don't look like they got much in the way of inns here." Zoro said, referencing the fact that no one who really came here would leave. Not of their own free will anyway… In cuffs on a marine ship, that was a different story.

"Yeah! Let's stay tonight and leave at dawn. I'm tired..." Luffy said, suddenly hit with the realization he's a human who needs to sleep. Though then again he'd need to be reminded of things like the cold.

Everyone groaned in relief. Most all of them were on the verge of passing out, and a hammock beats the ground. Everyone retired to their bunks, and the three men could have a quick talk.

* * *

"Are any of you guys worried about Luffy?" Usopp asked, very carefully. Trying to prevent sounding like he was distrusting his captain, and like the concern it was.

"The lucky bastard has a woman to hold at night, he's got nothing to worry about," Sanji said, complaining that he didn't have a woman in his hammock.

"I'm worried," Zoro said, contradicting his normal nature. "I'm worried Luffy's some sort of superhuman monster that got dropped off back in East Blue..." Zoro's thoughts were stuck on what Luffy had done. First, most recently, with the arm wrestling contest. He had given it his all while Luffy barely tried. Then back to the Laboon problem. He shoved the equivalent of an island out of the way. Then, the biggest of all. He scared Dracule Mihawk, a man so deadly he beat Zoro with a pocket knife. But one word from Luffy and he was taking out a weapon he used on ships and to deal death blows.

"I'm worried he's losing it…" Usopp said, thinking about all the unnerving things Luffy had done. He was explosively violent at times with what seemed like some minor things. The kiss, fighting an island whale, and that rampage through the city. Then he'd mellow out and go off with that stranger he calls a girlfriend.

"Yeah well, we knew he wasn't quite right when we all joined up with him," Zoro said, having been his longest-serving crew member, if by a slim margin. "But yeah, I get what you mean. If he goes bipolar and has nothing to hit, we'll either be turned to paste or sink to the bottom of the ocean after he punches a hole straight through..." Zoro said, not an ounce of humor behind it. That's what he truly believed the options were.

"That's not funny! I don't wanna drown! Or turn into a paste..." Usopp said, shaking in his hammock at the thought of it. It seemed realistic enough, when you consider he beat a whale in a one-on-one fist fight.

"Oh shut up. You won't drown. Luffy might be a bipolar maniac, but he wouldn't hurt our lovely ladies." Sanji replied, thinking of Robin for a mere moment, then Nami. He didn't want to admit it, but he was worried about Luffy as well.

"We're not ladies you moron!" Usopp replied angrily, wanting to go over and hit Sanji over the head for his narrow-minded thinking. Luffy may not have any control of what he hurt. It was obvious sometimes he didn't act like himself.

"Okay that's enough. This is getting us no where. Let's turn in for the night so we have enough energy for whatever Luffy gets us in tomorrow." Zoro finally said, throwing his arm over his eyes so he could get some sleep.

The other two complied, zipping their lips and getting some shut eye. Getting some relatively peaceful sleep for the night.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nami crashed in as close to a literal way as possible. She never made it to her own room. Instead, she was passed out on the deck a couple yards from the door to the girl's bedroom. Though this would likely mean she'd wake up feeling like crap, it was good news for two people.

Luffy and Robin cuddled against one another in Robin's bed. Both were down to their sleep wear, covered up and keeping warm. "Luffy. Do you have a problem with taking another person's life?" Robin asked, concerned with the psyche of her future-husband. She had twenty years of life dulling her to the act, Luffy was still full of life, despite all he had suffered.

"I don't try to do it..." Luffy said, looking away from her as he felt guilty for the how careless he had been. "I'm a lot stronger than I was the last time, and no one else is. So it's easy to..." Luffy had been doing his best to justify the rampant life taking he had been doing. That it wasn't his fault. That these people deserved it. He wasn't as innocent as he was the last time around. His brain wasn't locked into that of a seven-year-old from his Gum-Gum Fruit locking it in. But there was still only two people he wanted dead.

Robin scooted off of his chest to pull him intro hers, hugging him tight. She didn't say a word; none would help. She just held him tight and petted his head. "What's our next stop?" She asked, curious as to what was in store.

Luffy smiled at Robin's effort to comfort him. It was a sweet gesture she didn't often give. He took a moment to think about the question… "It won't be a pleasant one..." Luffy muttered, knowing what would need to happen for them to get Chopper…


	13. Good Morning and Good Pay

Hey guys! Sorry for the super long break in between chapters. Life has had me pretty busy. School, Holidays, Death. It all starts to pile up. But I was able to complete this one in time for Christmas, even if it was a bit short than originally intended. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Zoro was the first member of the crew to wake up the following morning. He left the crew quarters to do some morning exercises. Losing his arm wrestling match with Luffy was giving him extra drive than even his loss to Mihawk. Who could accept that there was that much difference between him and the man known as the greatest swordsman in the world? What he couldn't accept was an almost equal distance between him and his own captain. How could he even consider himself a member of the crew if he was that weak in comparison? So he added a few extra weights to the training sword and trained with just one arm instead of two.

Nami stumbled up from her spot at the sound of the brutish swordsman swinging his sword around like someone a little too proud of the size of their sword. "Would you keep it down? Some of us are trying to be unconscious." Nami complained, leaning against the mast for support. She was honestly amazed she was standing. Then again, she passed out a few hours before anyone else went to bed, and always could handle booze a bit better than most.

"No can do. I have to train." Zoro said, not bothering to turn to face her or slow down in the slightest. Each swing created a hard gush of air he could almost see. The strain on his arm was incredible, the stitches were threatening to tear, but he refused to lighten up.

"Oh for the love of. This is because of the arm wrestling isn't it?" Nami asked, slinking down with her hands over her eyes, blocking out the light of the rising sun. Didn't it care she was hungover…

"No!" Zoro yelled defensively, still upset over his challenged manhood. "It's more than that. You've seen him. It's like he's from another damn planet. I've trained my entire life to get where I am now, but it's nothing compared to that!" Zoro sped up the swings with the weighted sword. He was not going to settle.

Nami sat quietly against the mast. Partly from a lack of wanting to add more sound to the painfully loud swooshing of air, partly because there was nothing to be added to the conversation. Sometimes it felt like Luffy was toying with anyone he fought. No one was a challenge. No one his equal.

"DAMMIT! I'M TIRED OF BEING SECOND BEST!" Zoro yelled in rage as he swung the sword, causing a gust of wind so powerful a portion of the land on shore was impacted into a crater. Though he could hardly feel his right arm anymore. Those damn weights were impossibly heavy. He could only think of his childhood. The work he put into being harder, better, faster, stronger… Just to always be the second best swordsman…

Nami pulled her legs up and remembered a conversation she had with her captain after the fight with Krieg…

"Luffy..." Nami started, leaning against the railing behind the figurehead of the Going Merry, wanting to make sure she had his attention by getting too close to be ignored. "Can we talk?"

"Huh? Sure Nami!" Luffy said loudly, spinning around to face her. "What's up?"

"You said something earlier. About… How you had a wife once. You know my story, so I think it's only fair if I know a little something about yours." Nami said, trying to better connect with her captain, even if it was through mutual heartbreak.

"Oh… That..." Luffy gritted his teeth as he remembered that slip of the tongue. He hoped it had been dropped and forgotten… As if Nami would ever forget something. He wanted to tell her the truth, to explain all the weird stuff away… But he couldn't be sure she'd believe that. Or even if she did, how she'd handle it. Plus, it's not as if this was an easy topic… it literally broke who he was… "I got married young and… she was killed by a marine…" Luffy cried as he gripped Merry's railing, causing it to crack from his sheer strength.

"Oh I… I didn't know. I'm so sorry." Nami said, turning away from him. Given Luffy's age, this couldn't have been that long ago, though she was unaware it had now been almost as long for Luffy as it was since she lost her mother. It wasn't crazy for some people to marry super young if your island's life expectancy was low for instance. It just seemed like a terrible loss...

"No no. I… I was the one who brought up lost loved ones. The least I can do is show you I know the feeling of losing someone you love..." Luffy said, turning back to look at the sea. Trying to find comfort in the waves.

"Yeah… We're alike in that regard." Nami said, rubbing Luffy's back before walking away. She felt much sadder after that exchange, but much closer to her captain…

Nami looked up from her knees and over to Zoro, who was training his sheer endurance by holding out the weighted sword with his outstretched arm. "I don't think getting as strong as him is worth the price." She said as she started to get up, leaving the swordsman with that perplexing comment to think on as she headed to her bed to catch just a little decent sleep.

But she found her captain and Robin snuggling in the bed beside her own. If she weren't so tired, she'd be upset. But instead of complaining she just got in her bed and tried to shut out the world. Just a few minutes of total darkness was all she needed…

Unfortunately, her entry into the room was enough to wake up one of the other people in the room. Robin had needed the skill of waking up at a moments notice for twenty years. No amount of comfort would make that fade away. She craned herself up from her rubber pillow to watch the door and saw that it was only Nami, the ship's navigator. She wanted to shew her away from her perfect little oasis, but unfortunately, they shared this room. Though she could see from Nami's glare she was not happy with this arrangement either.

Robin pushed up from Luffy's chest, deciding it was time to get up and get ready. Robin covered Luffy back up and gave him a kiss on the forehead as compensation for parting from him for the time being. She then stepped out of the room to deck, taking in the smell of the sea and the sound of Zoro destroying the coastline with his furious slashes.

The booming sound of the swordsman woke two other crew-members as well. A cook and a sniper. The cook was ready to wake up. He, in fact, woke up early every day to prepare breakfast for the crew. Though after meeting the princess and various other ladies, he enjoyed some drinks and slept a little later than usual. Causing him to bolt to take his daily shower, compared to the once a week or every three days of his other disgusting male counterparts. Usopp was not yet ready to get up, so he simply covered his head to try and catch another hour or so of sleep.

Sanji ran into the Archaeologist in the kitchen, where she sought sanctuary from the judgmental navigator and overzealous swordsman. She was sipping some coffee she had brewed herself right away. It was a necessity for her to have some. She smiled at the cook and told him good morning, which put him in such a good mood he began to whip up an extra extravagant meal out of the little they had left to do so with. "Why are you up so early, Robin? Did that idiot swordsman wake you?" Sanji asked her, fire in his eyes with the thought that Zoro could have interrupted beauty sleep, even if it was beauty sleep for a woman he couldn't admire, at risk of his own life.

"No no. The navigator stumbled in not too long ago. She woke me, but I don't mind. This way I get coffee and can start the day." Robin said with a smile, taking the blame away from Zoro. It wasn't put on Nami, however, as she knew there was no chance the cook would get mad at a woman.

"Well, you should start your day with a nice breakfast," Sanji responded, dropping all of his anger. He began to whip Robin up a nice omelet, knowing that with the ingredients it would offer the best nutrient ratio and taste.

"Why thank you, cook," Robin said, leaning back to examine the room, which she normally did if she wasn't the most familiar with a place. The kitchen was dangerous, she observed. With the one entrance, if they were to be boarded and pushed in here, it would be fish in a barrel. Though for some marine to push past Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy they would need to be exceptionally strong, high ranked, and possibly armed with seastone. Even then it would cost them an arm, or a leg.

"No need to thank me, Robin!" Sanji swooned while he had the chance, taking the moments where he had the chance to spin back and look at her. He had immense respect for Luffy, at very least for what he did for him, but Sanji couldn't help himself. He wouldn't make a move, but he would still observe.

"Well thank you anyway. I know how scary Luffy's jealousy can be..." Robin commented almost to herself. She wasn't speaking of first-hand knowledge, of course, but rather on his reactions to believing she would be jealous. That was scary enough on its own.

"Ha. I'm not scared of…" Sanji started to put up his macho defense when he thought about what he was saying. He couldn't even tell that lie to himself. Luffy was fucking terrifying sometimes. "Here you go," Sanji said, giving Robin her breakfast.

Robin thanked him and began to eat. Ignoring the booming thunder of an angry swordsman outside. "Delicious, as usual, cook. Thank you." Robin said politely as she got up and put her plate away. Heading out of the kitchen to get the day started.

* * *

Luffy finally began to stir in the bed. Reaching out and grasping desperately for the wife that was no longer there. His eyes shot open, head craning around to find Robin. Seeing Nami sleep peacefully in the other bed put him at ease. She wouldn't be able to do that if anything bad happened, so Robin probably just woke up. Luffy got up and stepped outside, suffering from some serious bedhead as his hat was dangling on a string around his neck. Something he added much earlier this time around for practical purposes. He saw Zoro and made a B-line for him, wanting to speak with his friend. "Oi! Zoro! What are you doing up so early?" He asked, correctly assuming he had been up for a while now.

Zoro didn't answer his captain for some time. Instead, using his voice as a motivator. He couldn't feel his arms anymore, but that didn't mean he'd stop. Instead, he just gritted his teeth through the burning pain of acid build-up. Finally, he responded with a "Training!" and let his arms collapse. The sword crushing the flooring as he dropped it; too much weight in such a small space.

"Oh. That's good! Everyone needs to train!" Luffy said with a big smile, unaware of Zoro's motivation, though he didn't really need to know anyway. Luffy went over to the edge of the ship and looked over the edge towards the town. "Did Robin leave?" Luffy asked, hoping Zoro had seen her.

"Yeah," Zoro said as he sat down, exhausted from how much he trained. "She's probably fetching that princess woman. I'm sure she'll be back any-" Zoro stopped when he heard a whoosh of air louder than any attack he could create. It was surely Luffy dashing off towards the town faster than the human eye could track. Damn that powerful captain.

Luffy landed on top of a large stone building, scanning around for a sign of his girlfriend. He knew she'd be somewhere around here. The first place he could think of was…

The bar Robin was in served as a temporary holding cell for Valerie Lee Malone. Her personal information was something Robin snooped out within the week of her Agent position being put into place. Crocodile wouldn't have anyone close to him on the ladder without having enough dirt to thoroughly bury them. A fact she was being made terribly aware of.

"Please let me go! I won't say anything to anyone!" She screamed and cried, trying to appeal to the merciful side of someone referred to as the child of the Devil, a tactic she was beginning to understand would not work well.

"I do not like loose ends, Ms. Malone," Robin said, emphasizing her last name so she knew for certain Robin was aware of her identity. "And an assassin with knowledge of me is, to say the least, a loose end." With that, Robin sprouted a pair of arms from the woman's shoulders and began to choke her.

Valerie kicked her legs, trying to wiggle free from the hands. Her arms were bound behind her back, entire upper body tied with rope. She tried to float up, crash down, a combination of both. Nothing worked. Her power was truly useless against someone so well suited at taking the life of another human being.

"Robin!" Luffy yelled as he stepped into the bar. This is where Vivi, Igaram, and anyone else would likely be at this time. Seeing no one in the front, he stepped into the back where he saw the fat girl dragged last night.

Robin squeezed harder, wanting to finish the job before Luffy could find her. She knew that he had killed before, and very well could kill again, but that didn't mean she was open to the idea of murdering in front of him. At least not in anything but self-defense. Just because she was an assassin didn't mean she liked to kill. When she heard the footsteps enter the room, she dropped Valerie down to the floor. Eyes red from man vessels within popping from pressure. Gasping for air with two handprints on her throat. "Hello, Luffy. I was just asking Valerie here some questions." Robin said, trying to keep attention on her.

Luffy glanced at Robin and Valerie, trying to figure out what they talked about. Luffy was by no means qualified to be a detective, despite how great he'd look dressed as one, but he could certainly tell what happened. "Robin. Do we really need to kill her?" Luffy asked, to which a terrified and nearly unconscious Valerie shook no to, wanting to live.

Robin looked away. This was precisely what she wanted to avoid. It was so much easier to apologize after the fact than get permission prior. "We have to do something. We can't exactly let her escape and go on to tell...Mr. 0." It occurred to Robin that it was still in the best interest of everyone else to keep actual names a secret.

"Well than… We turn her in. What's she worth anyway?" Luffy asked Robin, assuming she would know this type of information about the people in their employ.

"Well… I believe she's somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty million. Maybe thirty if she's been doing some work on the side." Robin responded, eying the woman again. "Dead or alive." She added, wanting to cut her to the core.

Miss Valentine, for the first time in her life, wanted to be ignored. Normally it would send her spiraling into a sadistic, torturous murder spree… But now? Now she wanted to fade into the background and have everyone forget her existence.

"Well, lets call in a bounty. I should probably learn to deal with marines anyway." Luffy said, sighing and gritting his teeth. "Go get them to call in the bounty. I'm sure they do it often enough that marines stay close." Luffy said, speaking as her captain for the first time. He stepped past her and grabbed Miss Valentine, dragging her out despite the fact that he could easily hoist her.

"Stop! Let me go! I don't want to go to prison!" Miss Valentine kicked and screamed. She would never have done this if Miss All Sunday was taking her anywhere, but this Luffy guy seemed a little more hesitant about killing her. This made her think she might have a chance to escape. She was terribly wrong.

Luffy sighed and dropped the woman flat on her face, keeping her from getting back up and running away with his foot. "You don't get out of this happy. You came here intent on hurting my friends. Even if we had just beaten you, you'd just come back to try and kill us again." Luffy moved his foot away so he could pick her back up. "So you can either go willingly to prison or, I'll let you spend more time with Robin." Luffy threatened, knowing that she instilled more fear than he could without putting her near death.

Valentine had made many mistakes in her lifetime. She tried 100% Cocoa in hopes of it being even better than regular dark chocolate. She ate a strange fruit out of desperation and lost her ability to go for long swims at the beach. She killed a man who probably had a wife and child for the money in his pockets. She joined a group of assassins who made her throw away everyone she was. But now, her biggest mistake was believing there was a way out of this that didn't involve a ton of pain. So, she swallowed hard and nodded her head. If there was a merciful God in the sky, she could escape sometime later. If there was a cruel, evil, narcissistic Kami in the sky, she'd be trading freedom for breathing privileges.

Luffy decided that this time they would need to stick around and actually claim the bounty on one of their enemies heads. They had gotten by last time on practically nothing, but that didn't mean it had to be the same way this time. Millions of Beri were nice to have on hand, even if they had an inflation problem.

Luckily the frequency of pirates captured by the "bounty hunters" meant local marines were already known and kept close to the area. It was a relatively easy gig for the marines. Not a lot of fighting, a whole lot of delivering pirates who were already ambushed, beaten, and delivered. The case was no different when they docked this time. Except instead of the dozens of bounty hunters who usually greeted them, barely a half dozen people were waiting.

Waiting with abnormally big smiles, even for people who knew they were getting a lot of money soon. The orange haired woman had that look in her eyes, not the others. The raven-haired boy looked excited to have won whatever fight they got into. The blue hair girl looked eager for the ship to pull up, getting some of the men's hopes up as for the reason behind it.

"Oi! Dumb marine guys!" Luffy yelled, pointing at the lemon haired woman to draw attention to her. "How much is she worth?" Luffy asked, feeling that she needed to be focused on. This was probably due to the fact that the blood red body next to them was attracting the most attention.

The marines on board the ship hastily checked the bounties they had stored for these types of pickups. Large stacks of bounty posters, kept as up to date as possible, and a large surplus of gold coins to pay out said bounties. Setups like these weren't found farther down the Grand Line, where the ships were more likely to be robbed than utilized, but this was special. "Umm. Based on the look of her…" The captain looked at the bounty on one 'Ten-Ton Valerie.' who best matched the appearance of the woman in front of him. "Twenty Five Million."

Luffy was about to celebrate when he felt a weird disturbance in the air, almost like t had suddenly been sucked away… When suddenly he heard it, a screeching sound.

Nami had gotten up earlier and had snooped around when she saw a marine ship heading there way. Hearing that Luffy was finally claiming a bounty made her practically explode with glee. "TWENTY-FIVE MILLION BELLI!"

Luffy and the Marines recoiled in fear as Nami rushed over, picking Luffy up with the ease of bodybuilder and dancing around. "Oh, Luffy you're the best captain! HEY, YOU JERKS CANT YOU SEE WE GOT TWO BOUNTIES HERE?!" Nami yelled at the frightened marines as she pointed at the dead man lying next to the living woman. Under normal circumstances, she'd shy away from murder. It stood against what she knew. But Luffy only hurt those who posed a threat and only killed those trying to kill.

The marine rushed back to search the bounty records. Booger Bomb Francis… "Thirty-Five Million!" One of the marines yelled out, partially to alert the 'bounty hunters' and partly to get the appropriate bounty fetched for them. Sixty Million Belli in a combination of bills and coins. Enough to live comfortably for a while, if you weren't constantly on the sea…

Nami heard the amount, added it together, then promptly fainted then and there. She had spent most of her life trying to save up one hundred million. Luffy had managed to drop almost that at her feet in a matter of days. It was just too much. Luffy had to make sure she didn't fall and carry the sacks back to the ship as Marines escorted the assassin on the deck...and gathered the remains.

Nami woke up soon after getting put back on the ship. It took her a few minutes of panting and sweating before she was able to actually be of any help to her friends. She would've kissed everyone if she didn't have the actual money to plant her lips on. "It so good to see it again! It's mine! All mine!"

"Ours," Robin said, frowning at the navigator who was clearly going to be spending the most time with the money.

"Yeah yeah. Semantics. Money!" Nami fell back, making a money angel with the coins. Belli for eyes and a smile bigger than Luffy's.


End file.
